Max von Schillings

Max von Schillings (April 19, 1868 – July 24, 1933) was a German conductor, composer, and theatre director. He served as chief conductor at the Berlin State Opera from 1919 to 1925. His opera *Mona Lisa* (1915), with a libretto by Beatrice von Dovsky, was internationally successful and performed at the Metropolitan Opera. Schillings married soprano Barbara Kemp, who sang the title role in *Mona Lisa*. Before this success, he had composed three other operas: *Ingwelde* (1894), *Der Pfeifertag* (1899), and *Der Moloch* (1906). Born in Düren, Schillings was the brother of photographer Carl Georg Schillings. He studied music with Caspar Joseph Brambach and Otto von Königslow in Bonn before pursuing jurisprudence, philosophy, literature, and art history at the University of Munich. In 1892, he married Elisabeth Reimer, but they divorced; he later remarried Barbara Kemp in 1923. Schillings held various prominent positions: assistant at the Bayreuth Festival, conductor in Munich, Intendant of the Stuttgart Court Theatre from 1908 to 1918, and successor to Richard Strauss as director of the Berlin State Opera until 1925. He also conducted concert tours across Europe and the United States. In 1932, Schillings became President of the Prussian Academy of Arts, succeeding Max Liebermann. Until his death in 1933, he was artistic director of the Städtische Oper Berlin. His compositions include operas, melodramas, choral works, concertos, and chamber music. Notable works include *Violin Concerto in A minor* (op. 25) and *String Quartet in E minor*. Schillings was also a respected music educator, teaching Wilhelm ...