BORN in Eberswalde, Germany in 1953, Christian Ehwald began taking piano lessons at the age of 6.

From 1973 to 1978 Ehwald studied conducting at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin under professor Horst Forster and at the Leningrad Conservatoire under Arvid Jansons and Mariss Jansons. In 1979 he was awarded the third prize in the 6th Herbert von Karajan conducting competition.

From 1981 to 1988 Ehwald was chief conductor of the Jena Philharmonic. His first appearance as guest conductor with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1982 led to more concerts with this orchestra.

In 1982 he gave concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic. He has appeared as a guest conductor at the State Opera in Berlin since 1984, and concert tours with the Staatskapelle have taken him to England, Australia and New Zealand.

From 1988 to 1989 he worked as a freelance conductor. Among the orchestras he conducted were the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestras of Berlin, Bavarian Radio and West German Radio, the Petersburg Philharmonic and many other European, American and Japanese orchestras.

From 1998 to 2003 Ehwald was music director at the theater in Magdeburg and chief conductor of the Magdeburg Philharmonic. In 1999 he gave a master class at the Dresden Academy of Music.

Ehwald was appointed professor of conducting at the Academy of Music “Hanns Eisler” Berlin from the winter semester 2002/2003.