Rudolf Piehlmayer came into contact with music as a child; making music at home was a matter of course in the family of the man born in Straubing in 1961. At school, he found "his" instrument, the clarinet, which "gives music breath" and "is very similar to the human voice". He developed this close connection by subsequently studying at the Munich University of Music. This was followed by four years as principal clarinettist with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.

The most important pillar of his education was studying conducting with Prof. Hermann Michael in Munich.

He was able to build his professional career on this broad-based music theory and practical foundation: first as a solo répétiteur and then as first conductor at the Regensburg State Theater, then at the St. Gallen Theater and as general music director at the Augsburg State Theater. Since 2011 he has worked internationally as a freelance conductor.

His engagements range from the National Opera in Oslo to the Musashino Academia Musicae Tokyo to the Orchestre National de Bretagne, the Opéra Angers/Nantes and the Opéra Rouen Haut Normandie, where Rudolf Piehlmayer has been permanent guest conductor since 2014.

As the first permanent guest conductor, he worked for a long time with the Gewandhaus Orchestra at the Leipzig Opera. There is a long-standing collaboration with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra: As a guest conductor, Rudolf Piehlmayer accompanies the orchestra in concerts as well as in CD recordings and recordings for Bavarian Radio - most recently at the end of 2023 with the premiere recording of the Passacaglia Violin Concerto by Hans Koessler. The premiere recording of Koessler's Symphony in B minor followed in May 2024.

Since 2021, Rudolf Piehlmayer has been working as a reservist in the military music service of the Bundeswehr and has been leading the mountain music corps since August 2022.

Overall, Rudolf Piehlmayer's wide-ranging repertoire includes works from classical to contemporary music.

He has a particular penchant for the liveliness of Italian compositions and unconventional performance formats, allowing him to reach audiences outside of opera houses and concert halls.

When working with the orchestra, he wants to bring music to life. "Every note must be alive, music should touch you," is the credo of Rudolf Piehlmayer, who cannot imagine a life without music. If he had the choice, he would follow the same path again.