Carl Christian Bettendorf is a composer and conductor. Born in Hamburg, Germany, he studied composition with Hans-Jürgen von Bose and Wolfgang Rihm in Munich and Karlsruhe before moving to New York, where he received his doctorate from Columbia University under Tristan Murail.
Bettendorf’s works have been played at many prestigious venues and festivals in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. He has received numerous awards, among them a fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), a six-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, and commissions from the Fromm Foundation and the Ralph Kaminsky Fund.
As a conductor, Mr. Bettendorf has worked with ensembles in New York (Wet Ink and Talea Ensemble) and abroad (Piano Possibile in Munich, Ostravská banda in the Czech Republic), and is currently director of the Manhattanville College Community Orchestra in Purchase, NY. He recently conducted opera productions at Bard College and the Opéra national de Montpellier in France and has served as assistant conductor for the Columbia University and American Composers orchestras, Miller Theatre, and the Munich Biennale. Bettendorf has recorded for the Albany, ArtVoice, Carrier, Cybele, Hat Hut, and Tzadik labels.
