After study in Vienna, in 1878 Nikisch was appointed choral coach at the Leipzig Opera, becoming principal conductor in 1879. From 1889 to 1893 he was conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, then conducted the Gewandhaus Orchestra at Leipzig from 1895 until his death. From 1897 he also led the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he toured widely. He succeeded Hans von Bülow as conductor of the Philharmonic Concerts at Hamburg in 1897, toured the United States with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1912, and conducted Richard Wagner's Ring cycle of operas at Covent Garden in 1913. Although he excelled in performances of Wagner, he was a conductor of broad musical tastes. His style was marked by intensity of Romantic expression and his technique by precision and economy of gesture. As an accompanist at the piano, he appeared in recitals with his pupil Elena Gerhardt, a lieder singer.