Born in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, on September 23, 1986, Joana Mallwitz studied violin from the age of three and piano from the age of five. As a student at the Hanover School of Music, she became interested in conducting and was awarded a scholarship to pursue this path. After starting out as a coach in Heidelberg, she went on to conduct Madame Butterfly, rising through the ranks from second kapellmeister to deputy orchestra director between 2007 and 2011. Appointed General Director of the Erfurt Theater in 2013, she remained in the post until 2018, when she accepted an offer from the Nuremberg Opera to serve until 2023, before becoming its honorary conductor. In the meantime, Joana Mallwitz conducts Cosí fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival in 2020 and begins an association with the Berlin Konzerthausorchester, becoming its new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for five seasons from 2023. Married to tenor Simon Bode, she records with him and other performers including Katharine Mehring, The Kurt Weill Album (2024), featuring songs and the composer's two symphonies.