Rainer Hersch

Classical Conductor and Stand-up Comedian

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Rainer Hersch 's Biography

Rainer Hersch is unique - he is both in internationally recognized conductor and a stand-up comic who has regularly closed the show at London’s famous Comedy Store. In music he has worked with some of the great ensembles of the world – conducting orchestras from the London Philharmonic to the St Petersburg Philharmonic and Queensland Symphony. He offers two highly engaging motivational sessions and a musical team building. MANAGEMENT SESSIONS 1) “The Conductor as Leader” (what can business learn from a symphony orchestra). With audience interaction and plenty of musical examples (performed either live or using clips), Rainer completely engages any meeting with a discussion about leadership as viewed from the standpoint of the orchestral conductor. As a comedian, he allows the orchestra-team to reach out to a completely different market without fundamentally changing anything they do, simply re-applying existing resources. It’s a fascinating story and the analogy of the orchestra as a metaphor for any complex organisation is striking and illuminating. Key messages include: communication; building trust and teamwork; encouraging passion and commitment; creating and communicating a vision; defining values; leadership styles; making the best use of available resources; managing the process of change; guarding and enhancing a reputation. Can be performed ‘in person’ as a webinar. Either solo OR with 4-8 musicians (depending on the size of venue and audience) 2) "Managing Change" With interaction, challenging and fascinating parallels relating to music and the orchestra, Rainer Hersch outlines the principles of Successful change management. Key messages include: Understanding, planning, implementing and communicating change. Can be performed ‘in person’ as a webinar. Either solo OR with 4-8 musicians (depending on the size of venue and audience) TEAM BUILDING “It Takes All Of Us” An ‘amazing’ (testimonials) team-working session in which the attendees are given the task of contributing musically to a performance of a hit song. Delegates are divided into teams, each of which retires to a breakout room with a tutor – one of Rainer’s accompanying musicians. There, they are challenged to learn a percussion instrument and a series of rhythms. After 45 minutes instruction, the teams come back together for a further session in group singing. Then it all comes together in a hugely satisfying performance.

SPEAKING VIDEOS
PHOTOS

The Conductor as Leader - Webinar | Rainer Hersch

"Amazing” Musical Team Building | Rainer Hersch Orkestra

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Rainer Hersch Keynote Topics

The Conductor As Leader

In this keynote, our speaker draws compelling parallels between leading an orchestra and managing a business. Through live or recorded musical examples, he reveals how leadership, communication, and trust shape a team’s performance. Participants discover how the conductor’s vision unites individual talents into a harmonious whole, offering a powerful metaphor for organisational success.

Building Trust

This session explores how mutual trust fuels collaboration and productivity within any team. Our speaker demonstrates, through orchestral dynamics, how trust between leader and members enables creativity, precision, and shared purpose. Attendees learn practical ways to cultivate trust as a foundation for sustained success.

Teamwork

Here, the orchestra becomes a living example of seamless teamwork. By showcasing the interplay of diverse roles within a performance, our speaker inspires audiences to embrace cooperation and respect for individual contributions. The result is a clear roadmap to creating unity in complex organisations.

Encouraging Passion And Commitment

This talk reveals how leaders can inspire passion and dedication across a team. Drawing from the energy and focus of professional musicians, our speaker shares methods to spark enthusiasm, foster loyalty, and maintain high performance in fast-changing environments.

Creating And Communicating A Vision

In this keynote, attendees learn how a conductor’s interpretation of a score mirrors a leader’s strategic vision. Our speaker demonstrates how clear, consistent communication can transform that vision into tangible results, aligning every team member toward common goals.

Defining Values

This session underlines the role of core values in guiding both orchestras and organisations. Our speaker shows how clearly defined values create consistency, strengthen culture, and drive decision-making, even in challenging situations.

Leadership Styles

Our speaker examines how different conducting approaches reflect varied leadership styles, from directive to collaborative. Audiences discover how to adapt their style to fit the team’s strengths and challenges, maximising both efficiency and morale.

Making Best Use Of Available Resources

Through the analogy of orchestral resourcefulness, this keynote teaches how to optimise talent, tools, and time. Our speaker illustrates how to get the most from what you have, turning constraints into creative opportunities.

Managing The Process Of Change

In this session, the orchestra becomes a metaphor for navigating change. Our speaker shares strategies for introducing, communicating, and implementing transformation while keeping performance standards high.

Guarding And Enhancing A Reputation

This talk focuses on protecting and building the reputation of both individuals and organisations. Using stories from the world of classical music, our speaker shows how consistent excellence, strong relationships, and clear messaging enhance brand trust and recognition.

Rainer Hersch 's Biography

MANAGEMENT SESSIONS

1) “The Conductor as Leader” (what can business learn from a symphony orchestra). With audience interaction and plenty of musical examples (performed either live or using clips), Rainer completely engages any meeting with a discussion about leadership as viewed from the standpoint of the orchestral conductor. As a comedian, he allows the orchestra-team to reach out to a completely different market without fundamentally changing anything they do, simply re-applying existing resources. It’s a fascinating story and the analogy of the orchestra as a metaphor for any complex organisation is striking and illuminating.

Key messages include: communication; building trust and teamwork; encouraging passion and commitment; creating and communicating a vision; defining values; leadership styles; making the best use of available resources; managing the process of change; guarding and enhancing a reputation.

Can be performed ‘in person’ as a webinar. Either solo OR with 4-8 musicians (depending on the size of venue and audience)

2) "Managing Change" With interaction, challenging and fascinating parallels relating to music and the orchestra, Rainer Hersch outlines the principles of Successful change management.

Key messages include: Understanding, planning, implementing and communicating change.

Can be performed ‘in person’ as a webinar. Either solo OR with 4-8 musicians (depending on the size of venue and audience)

TEAM BUILDING

“It Takes All Of Us” An ‘amazing’ (testimonials) team-working session in which the attendees are given the task of contributing musically to a performance of a hit song. Delegates are divided into teams, each of which retires to a breakout room with a tutor – one of Rainer’s accompanying musicians. There, they are challenged to learn a percussion instrument and a series of rhythms. After 45 minutes instruction, the teams come back together for a further session in group singing. Then it all comes together in a hugely satisfying performance.

Rainer Hersch is ready to inspire your teams!
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Rainer Hersch testimonials

David Singleton

Area Vice President, Hard Rock Cafe

“The role of the orchestral conductor and the business leader are no different. A leader cannot micro-manage their team when they are doing their job, so prepare, train and allow them the space and trust to deliver…Rainer Hersh cleverly, with unique humor brings this to life through music and experience as a conductor around the World. From his keynote to Viva La Vida team building performance, it gains the highest rating from our Global Hard Rock conference.”

Jane Foster

Corporate Relations Manager, Lancaster University Management School

“Hugely entertaining and kept everyone engaged after a long day of presentations and information sessions. Rainer combines music and comedy with some very original perspectives on leadership and motivation. Quite unique!”

Johanna Reder

Head of Marketing and Communications, Essensys

“The mix of comedy and classical music was hugely entertaining. The auditorium was filled with laughter from start to finish. Our delegates not only had a brilliant time, but they also left with fascinating insights on what conductors do as well as key takeaways on leadership and motivational techniques for teams.”

Head of Corporate Buying.

Aldi

"Rainer was funny, professional and his presentation was thought provoking whilst entertaining. There was a well-balanced amount of audience interaction and musical entertainment that provided the perfect backdrop to our Corporate Strategy Day. We would definitely recommend."

Matt Trueman

Journalist for the TMA UK

"A fun, interactive session – perfect for flagging brains at the end of a day. Under Hersch’s guidance, his conducting clear and expressive, a tuneless rendition of Happy Birthday became something subtle and, by the end, rousing."

Linda McCanna

General Manager, Accommodation Essex

"Thank you, Rainer for delivering such a successful event. Your talk on the conductor as leader was first class - accessible to all of our staff, from cleaners to senior managers, and relevant and enjoyable. Everybody took something away from the event that they can use in their daily work. The orchestra were astonishingly good and added to the occasion. The staff really enjoyed experiencing classical music up close, which surprised many of them. You were such good fun. We have been running the annual staff conference for a few years now, and this is the first time that our staff gave a standing ovation to a keynote speaker. Highly recommended."