Concert engagements

Founded in 1662 as the court orchestra of the princely court of Baden, which at that time still resided in Durlach, the BADISCHE STAATSKAPELLE developed into an orchestra with a great national and international reputation. Famous court conductors such as Franz Danzi, Hermann Levi, Otto Dessoff and Felix Mottl conducted numerous premières and first performances, e.g. by Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms and Béla Bartók. Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss also conducted the court orchestra on several occasions. In the 1860s, Hermann Levi introduced the first regular subscription concerts of the then court orchestra, which continue to this day as the symphony concerts of the BADISCHEN STAATSKAPELLE.

General Music Directors such as Joseph Keilberth, Christof Prick, Günther Neuhold and Kazushi Ono led the orchestra into the modern era despite wars and financial difficulties, without neglecting the pillars of the repertoire. The BADISCHE STAATSKAPELLE still presents itself today with a complete range between repertoire cultivation and the presentation of forward-looking contemporaries, exemplified by the name of Wolfgang Rihm.

As General Music Director from 2008 to 2020, Justin Brown focused on cultivating the works of Wagner, Berlioz, Verdi and Strauss and created varied concert programmes for which he and his team received the "Best Concert Programme 2012/13" award from the German Music Publishers Association.

Georg Fritzsch took over as General Music Director for the 2020/21 season. For the Beethoven Year 2020, he and piano virtuoso Gerhard Oppitz performed all five Beethoven piano concertos as a marathon in one evening.

Find out more at www.staatstheater.karlsruhe.de/ensemble/staatskapelle

Founded in 1889, the Beethoven-Haus Bonn association is regarded as the leading Beethoven centre. It has set itself the task of keeping Beethoven's life, work and influence alive. The cultural centre includes the world's most important Beethoven collection, the museum in Beethoven's birthplace with over 100,000 visitors per year, a musicological research department, library and publishing house as well as the Hermann J. Abs Chamber Music Hall with a year-round programme.

Find out more at www.beethoven.de

The Beethovenfest Bonn is one of the oldest and most important music festivals in Germany. Founded in 1845 by Franz Liszt in the city of Beethoven's birth, it now represents an internationally recognised cultural beacon with around 70 events in Bonn and the region every year in August and September.

Under its director Steven Walter, the Beethovenfest is currently repositioning itself: as a festival that is open to all sections of the population, radically contemporary in its approach to a living tradition and future-orientated, testing and significantly shaping the future of concert life in a variety of ways.

Find out more at www.beethovenfest.de

The Brandenburg Summer Concerts are Brandenburg-Berlin's largest music festival in the entire region. Every year on weekends from June to September, around 30 "Classical Concerts in the Countryside" take place throughout Brandenburg and Berlin. Stars and ensembles of classical music and many other styles, as well as artists from the fields of literature, painting and dance, meet the sights of Brandenburg's castles, churches, monasteries, industrial and architectural monuments. Combined with an intensive experience of nature, culinary delights and interaction with the people of the region, this is a cultural excursion and an overall experience that has characterised the Brandenburg Summer Concerts for 30 years.

Find out more at https://brandenburgische-sommerkonzerte.org

Whether philharmonic concert or opera, cross-over project or chamber music, benefit or family concert - thanks to its diverse artistic commitment, the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra is the mainstay of north-west German musical life.

In 2024/2025, the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra will be celebrating a special anniversary with its 200th season. With its two-hundred-year history, it is one of the world's most traditional orchestras. As a large philharmonic orchestra, the Bremen Philharmonic is predestined for symphonies from the Romantic repertoire and also dedicates itself with great passion to works from the classical period and with convincing enthusiasm to compositions from the 20th century. Contemporary composers also greatly appreciate the Bremen orchestra for its open-mindedness and interest in premières.

With its diverse concert series and the varied events organised by its music workshop, the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra can be experienced almost every day. The Philharmonic Concerts and the Afterwork Concerts form a centrepiece. In addition, there are special concerts and opera performances in Bremen Theatre, chamber music series and target group-oriented events for children and young people.

The Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra does not limit itself to making music in established cultural venues, but takes its cultural mission much further: it is committed to social and charitable causes - in the firm conviction that culture is an essential part of a society worth living in.

Find out more at www.bremer-philharmoniker.de

Con spirito breathes the spirit of Leipzig - a city in which creativity is reflected in a wealth of cultural institutions that is unparalleled worldwide. Beginning with the founding of the St. Thomas Boys Choir, the work of Johann Sebastian Bach and the development of the first civic concert orchestra, the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig developed into one of the most important European cultural metropolises in the 19th century. The chamber music festival Con spirito connects the composers' homes and places of activity that made Leipzig a world-renowned city of music. Every year in September, renowned artists from the international chamber music scene perform in the “living rooms” of Mendelssohn, the Schumanns, Bach, Wagner and Grieg. Music lives here!

Find out more at www.conspiritoleipzig.de

The Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz has been bringing music to the people since it was founded over a hundred years ago. The orchestra has never had its own concert hall; the musicians have always travelled all over the country. There is no question that the Staatsphilharmonie is a migratory bird. The movement towards the audience is what drives it. A perfect performance resembles an impressively synchronised flight manoeuvre: numerous individuals form a precisely organised flock that reacts quickly and sensitively to one another. By concentrating on observing more distant flock members, migratory birds can anticipate incipient changes of direction or formation - in the same way that orchestral musicians pay attention to their colleagues when playing.
In the shadow of the First World War, committed citizens came together in Landau in September 1919 to decide to found a travelling state symphony orchestra. After the inaugural concert on 15 February 1920, the orchestra set off on its first concert tour through the Palatinate and Saarland. This marked the beginning of the history of the German State Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate, which can now look back on a long tradition.
Even in its early years, the orchestra attracted national attention under the baton of Richard Strauss and Hermann Abendroth. Principal conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach and Leif Segerstam, now an honorary conductor, helped the orchestra gain international recognition. Michael Francis, who has been chief conductor of the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz since the 19-20 season, has also provided numerous new impulses to continue the orchestra's tradition.
As an orchestra without a permanent home, the symphonic programme of the federal state remains the most important task of the Staatsphilharmonie to this day. With 154 events at 30 venues in Germany and abroad, it brings music to the people. Educational and family formats enrich the programme for young people. Even the youngest children are introduced to the world of classical music with rehearsal visits and toddler concerts. Regular concert recordings by SWR and Deutschlandfunk Kultur as well as numerous CD productions round off the Staatsphilharmonie's diverse range of activities.
The orchestra is not only characterised by a love of travel and departure in geographical terms. The Staatsphilharmonie is also constantly on the move in a figurative sense. For them, bringing music to the people not only means being on location, but also reaching people directly. The orchestra is therefore an integral part of cultural life and, more than ever, a cultural beacon for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and beyond.

Find out more at www.staatsphilharmonie.de

The Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra with its General Music Director Axel Kober is one of the most important institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia's cultural landscape. They enjoy an excellent reputation as a competent and powerful orchestra on the concert stage and in the orchestra pit of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. At the centre of each season are the twelve Philharmonic Concerts in the Philharmonie Mercatorhalle, in which central works of the symphonic tradition from baroque to modern are performed in collaboration with internationally renowned conductors. These are complemented by the ‘Profile’ chamber concert series, in which the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra passionately explores the repertoire together with prominent guest musicians. The Duisburg Philharmonic also organises cross-over projects, open-air concerts and nationwide guest performances. Last but not least, they see themselves as an innovative, cosmopolitan orchestra that opens up new audiences with international tours, its own concert education programme ‘klasse.klassik’, participation in major music festivals and performances away from the usual venues.

Find out more at https://duisburger-philharmoniker.de

With more than 190 concerts and over 90,000 visitors a year, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival) is one of the largest classical music festivals in Germany. International orchestras, the stars of the classical music scene and up-and-coming musicians from all over the world perform in castles, manor houses, churches, barns, factory halls or in the open air. The music, the incomparable lake and coastal landscape and the more than 90 venues turn the concerts into special experiences. Director Ursula Haselböck has headed the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival since September 1, 2020, taking over from Dr Markus Fein, who had been in charge of the festival since 2014.

The three seasons of the festival year
For ten days in March, the Rügen Festival Spring invites to musical discoveries and very personal concerts under the artistic direction of prizewinners of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. During the three-month festival summer from mid-June to mid-September, up to 150 events take place throughout the state. Series such as "Landpartie", "Junge Elite", "Unerhörte Orte", "360° ...", "2 x Hören" and the children's and family programme "Mäck & Pomm" are constant features. In the festival winter, the classical music festival treats audiences to a Christmas atmosphere in Ulrichshusen, Stolpe or Neubrandenburg and welcomes the New Year with traditional music.

Promoting musicians in the long term
One of the pillars of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival is to promote and support young artists. Since 1995, promising young musicians from all over the world have been performing in the "Young Elite" series and competing for one of the young talent awards. Once honoured, they return again and again to the prizewinners' concerts at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. Since 2006, a prizewinner in residence has also been appointed. The residency gives the respective artist - including world-renowned artists such as Daniel Hope, Julia Fischer, Daniel Müller-Schott, Igor Levit and Kit Armstrong - the opportunity to help shape the festival summer and lend a very personal touch to the programme, usually in over 20 concerts.

Find out more at https://festspiele-mv.de

Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most famous and recognised Polish symphonic ensembles, performs at major music centres at home and abroad. Its Chief Conductor is Łukasz Borowicz. 

It has toured almost all European countries, and performed at several leading international music festivals, incl. the Romaeuropa-Villa Medici, Kissinger Sommer, Ankara Sanat Festivali, Festwochen in Herrenhausen, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Choriner Musiksommer and Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, International Music Festival Janáčkův Máj, Smetanova Litomyšl International Opera Festival.  
The Orchestra accompanied participants of the first post-war edition of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw; since 1952, it has regularly played with the finalists of International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competitions in Poznań. 

The Orchestra has performed with such illustrious conductors, as Andrzej Boreyko, Christopher Hogwood, Jacek Kaspszyk, Zdeněk Mácal, Sir Neville Marriner, Paul McCreesh as well as with outstanding soloists: Martha Argerich, Piotr Beczała, Rafał Blechacz, Ida Haendel,  Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Aleksandra Kurzak, Sergei Leiferkus, Witold Małcużyński,  Sabine Meyer, David and Igor Oistrakhs, Ewa Podleś, Maurizio Pollini, Gil Shaham,  Wanda Wiłkomirska, Pretty Yende, Narciso Yepes, Christian Zacharias,  Krystian Zimerman, Nikolaj Znaider.

Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra have made numerous recordings, incl. world’s first CD recording of "Quo Vadis" by Feliks Nowowiejski, which received the prestigious ICMA prize (2018) and Feliks Nowowiejski Piano Concerto in D minor, Op. 60 Slavic, Cello Concerto, Op. 55” (Jacek Kortus – piano, Bartosz Koziak – cello, Łukasz Borowicz – conductor, Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra) which has been awarded a 2023 Fryderyk Prize.

Find out more at https://filharmoniapoznanska.pl

Heidelberger Frühling gGmbH is one of the most important driving forces in the fields of classical music and festivals. It organises the Heidelberg String Quartet Festival, the Heidelberger Frühling International Music Festival, the Chamber Music Plus concert series, a festival academy for lied singing, chamber music and music journalism as well as the Heidelberg Music Conference, an annual conference for European festivals and concert halls.

Each season, the Heidelberger Frühling organises over 120 events as well as Thomas Quasthoff's biennial international singing competition "DAS LIED". Together with artists such as Thomas Hampson and Igor Levit, projects and productions are created in Heidelberg that have a lasting impact on the cultural world. More than 47,000 visitors come every year.

Find out more at www.heidelberger-fruehling.de

As a versatile, dynamic chamber orchestra, the Kammerakademie Potsdam has made a name for itself far beyond the city limits. The orchestra of the state capital and house orchestra of the Nikolaisaal is present in Potsdam and Brandenburg with numerous concert series for all age groups, performs in Germany's major concert halls and undertakes concert tours through Europe, to South America and Asia. Many award-winning CD recordings and Brandenburg's first orchestra academy, founded in 2018, testify to the ensemble's success and innovative spirit. Antonello Manacorda has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the KAP since the 2010/11 season.

Find out more at www.kammerakademie-potsdam.de

For decades, the Schlosstheater Celle has offered an incomparable setting for soloists and ensembles from all over the world with its "Chamber Music Ring" (Kammermusikring) section.
The intimate atmosphere of the historic baroque theatre, which will celebrate its 350th anniversary in 2025, is made for dense musical encounters between audience and musicians and is appreciated far beyond Celle: It is a home for chamber music in the truest sense of the word.

Learn more at https://schlosstheater-celle.de/programm/kammermusikring

Since 1986 the Kölner Philharmonie has been an integral part of Europe's music scene. One reason for such prominence is the variety of the concert programmes, which comprise the great works of the symphonic and chamber music repertoire, jazz sessions, folk and pop events, and the world and Cologne premiéres of lesser known, new and exotic works.

Another reason is the unique atmosphere prevailing in the exquisitely beautiful concert hall which has been designed in the style of an amphitheatre.

Concerts are held almost daily here and up to two or three on Sundays and public holidays.

Find out more at www.koelner-philharmonie.de

Music moves people and brings them together - whether it's symphony concerts performed at the highest level by the Konzerthausorchester Berlin with our new chief conductor Joana Mallwitz and guests such as Iván Fischer and Christoph Eschenbach or innovative educational formats. We want the Konzerthaus Berlin to give people, regardless of their previous education and social background, the opportunity to familiarise themselves with classical music and to pursue their long-standing passion.

From afternoon espresso concerts with excellent young talents to ‘2x hören’, which brings contemporary music closer to the audience, from the moderated Mozart matinee with musical childcare to public rehearsals, especially for school classes, to the monthly livestream ‘Spielzeit’ by our orchestra members on twitch - we want to be a concert hall for all of Berlin and beyond.

This is reflected in our festivals: from ‚Aus den Fugen’, when unusual artists and ensembles unhinge the normal concert hall programme with visionary works and ideas, to tributes to important personalities from the world of music.

In her ‘Expedition Concerts’, for example, Joana Mallwitz first takes the audience into the heart of great works at the piano. The entire piece is then performed together with the Konzerthausorchester. In the new ‘Night Sessions’, she presents and conducts music on topics such as ‘pulse’ or ‘improvisation’ in an unusual stage setting and welcomes exciting guests with the Konzerthausorchester. At the always enthusiastically attended ‘Mittendrin’ concerts with Iván Fischer as conductor and presenter, the orchestra sits in the stalls with the audience right in between.

Our self-image also includes networking and regular collaboration with artists and ensembles of different styles from the diverse local independent scene.

The Konzerthaus Berlin offers a wide range of low-threshold opportunities to prepare for or follow up on concert visits and engage in dialogue via digital platforms.

Find out more at https://www.konzerthaus.de/en/

Founded in 1923, the MDR Sinfonieorchester is the oldest radio orchestra in Germany. It remains committed to the principles of its origins: It brings cultural education and musical entertainment to the people, live or via radio; it reflects the creative spirit of Central Germany, epitomised by composers such as Bach, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Schumann, Liszt and Weill. The MDR Sinfonieorchester cultivates musical traditions and contemporary music; the latest music, composition commissions and cross-genre concert formats are just as much a part of the orchestra's programme as lively performances of the traditional repertoire.

As the region's radio orchestra, the MDR Sinfonieorchester also maintains its presence outside the musical centres of Central Germany. The production of unusual repertoire for radio programmes and digital formats, particularly in the education sector, is increasingly part of the orchestra's remit, as is the recording of film music, including for the Kika series ‘Beutolomäus’, ‘Bibi and Tina 3’ and ‘Nutcracker and the Mouse King’. Highlights were the collaboration with Tom Tykwer on ‘Cloud Atlas’, ‘Babylon Berlin’ and ‘Hologram for a King’ and with Andy and Lana Wachowski on the series ‘Sense 8’.

The very different personalities who have been at the helm of the MDR Sinfonieorchester as chief conductors - including Kristjan Järvi, Jun Märkl, Fabio Luisi, Wolf-Dieter Hauschild, Herbert Kegel and Hermann Abendroth - have characterised the orchestra's versatility. Dennis Russell Davies has been Chief Conductor since summer 2020, and as an experienced orchestral educator and accomplished programme planner, he shapes the orchestra's unusual repertoire culture. The range of renowned and up-and-coming guest conductors and guest soloists complements the musical spectrum. These include Anja Bihlmaier, Daniel Cohen, Michael Francis, Marie Jacquot, Tianyi Lu, Oksana Lyniv, Ariane Matiakh, Frank Strobel, Robert Trevino, Krzysztof Urbanski and Willem de Vriend. Regular guests include Antje Weithaas, Simone Lamsma, Matt Haimovitz, Edgar Moreau, Elisabeta Leonskaya, Thomas Hampson, Christoph Prégardien, Christopher Maltman, Chen Reiss and Thomas Zehetmair. In the 24/25 season, conductors Stephanie Childress, Keri-Lynn Wilson and Izabele Jankauskaite will lead the MDR Sinfonieorchester for the first time.

Find out more at www.mdr.de/klassik/mdr-sinfonieorchester

Diversity and quality are the hallmarks of the NDR Radiophilharmonie from Hanover. 86 highly qualified musicians stand for an impressive variety of programs. As an innovative symphony orchestra that combines high artistic quality with exceptional programme diversity, the NDR Radiophilharmonie enjoys a national and international reputation. Experienced in the fields of classical-romantic symphonic music, early music and opera, the NDR Radiophilharmonie also succeeds in appealing to a broad audience with new concert ideas and venues, attracting new listeners and setting contemporary accents in cultural life. A particular focus is on developing concert formats that arouse the audience's curiosity in a variety of ways.

Find out more at www.ndr.de/orchester_chor/radiophilharmonie

The Niedersächsisches Staatsorchester Hannover is an opera and concert orchestra with almost four hundred years of success: in addition to daily changing opera and ballet performances, Lower Saxony's largest orchestra produces eight symphony concerts per season, its own chamber concert series, numerous children's and special concerts as well as educational programmes. In multidisciplinary projects and international collaborations, musicians are given the opportunity to try out the development of orchestral work of the future.

Founded in 1636 as a court orchestra, Heinrich Schütz, Agostino Steffani and Georg Friedrich Händel were among the first conductors. The orchestra was enlarged when the present opera house was built in 1852. Joseph Joachim was the outstanding concertmaster of this period – from 1852 to 1866 he was Royal Concertmaster, and from 1859 Concert Director at the opera house. This makes the Niedersächsisches Staatsorchester Hannover the orchestra in which Joseph Joachim was permanently engaged for the longest period of his life and with which he remained associated as a guest until a few years before his death.

The orchestra has been part of the Niedersächsische Staatstheater Hannover GmbH since 1970 and is part of the Hanover State Opera, currently under the artistic director Laura Berman. It currently has 112 members. Stephan Zilias has been General Music Director since summer 2020.

Find out more at https://staatstheater-hannover.de

Over the forty years of its activity, the orchestra has achieved a significant position on the Polish music scene, it has also learned various methods of leading an ensemble and developed its own approach to music, combining emotional sound with clarity of texture. Critics highlight these features of the orchestra’s playing, appreciating the performances also for their extraordinary expressiveness. From the beginning, the orchestra was led by outstanding violinists/directors: Karol Teutsch, Jan Stanienda and his longtime concertmaster, Zbigniew Szufłat.

Initially, it focused on the Classical and even Baroque repertoire, later expanding it to music of the 20th century. Under the direction of another superb artist, Ernst Kovacic, the orchestra began exploring the niches of 20th-century music.

CD recordings, among which albums with works by Ernst Křenek (Capriccio and Toccata Classics), Leoš Janáček (DUX) and string transcriptions of Alban Berg’s works (Berg by Arrangement, Toccata Classics; recognized by The Sunday Times as one of the best albums of the year) and with Bach’s Kunst der Fuge (CD Accord). Enthusiastic reviews were also given to the two latest albums with Christian Danowicz as the leader – Made in Poland (DUX) and Supernova (CD Accord), recorded together with the Atom String Quartet and honoured with the Fryderyk 2018 and 2019 awards. The first album recorded under the direction of Joseph Swensen was released in 2020 - featuring works by Debussy and Tchaikovsky. The album was nominated for the 2021 Polish music award "Fryderyk".

In the years 2014–2017, Hartmut Rohde, a violist and lecturer at the Universität der Künste Berlin, was artistic director of the orchestra; he concentrated on the interpretation of Romantic works. Joseph Swensen, who took over as artistic director on 1 September 2017, has expanded the ensemble’s repertoire with both classical and recent works. Since September 2023 the position of artistic director of the orchestra has been held by British violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky.

The NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra has performed in the most important venues of Europe, such as the Barbican Centre in London, Philharmonie, Konzerthaus and Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Tivolis Concertsal in Copenhagen, Teatro Victoria Eugenia in San Sebastián, as well as during the most important European festivals, among others: Muziekfestival West-Brabant in the Netherlands, Bodenseefestival and Weilburger Schlosskonzerte in Germany, Echternach in Luxembourg, Pablo Casals Festival, Festival du Périgord Noir in France, Estoril in Portugal, Flanders Festival and Europalia in Belgium, International Festival Wratislavia Cantans and Musica Polonica Nova in Wrocław, Poland, as well as the International Festival of Contemporary Music “Warsaw Autumn”.

The NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra has collaborated with recognized artists, such as: Krzysztof Penderecki, Piotr Anderszewski, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Reinhard Goebel, Daniel Hope, Richard Tognetti, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Kolja Blacher, Radek Baborák, Sergei Nakariakov, Daniel Müller-Schott, Tedi Papavrami, Tasmin Little, Heinz Holliger, András Schiff, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Bartłomiej Nizioł, and Krzysztof and Jakub Jakowicz.

Find out more at www.nfm.wroclaw.pl

Artistic quality and stylistic flexibility – these features represent the trademark of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra. Since its foundation in 1946 the orchestra has been active in all kinds of musical fields: opera, operetta, oratorio, film, jazz, pop and cross-over and in particular the symphonic concert. No matter which genre – it makes music an adventure.

Multifaceted repertoire
100 concerts in front of some 200,000 people are performed each year. While the Symphonic Concerts in Nuremberg's Meistersingerhalle focus on the classicalromantic repertoire, the in-house Musiksaal in the Kongresshalle is dedicated to exciting genre-spanning projects from pop, jazz, film and literature. In December, the atmospheric Advent concerts with festive baroque music are a must for many visitors to Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt. Another special feature: the veritable open-air summer season with concerts in the Serenadenhof or at Europe's largest classical open air in a public parc.

Social Commitment
Attracting young people to classical music with age-appropriate and interactive projects is particularly important to the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, as well. The beacon of this strategy is the new U-TURN | the orchestival, an innovative format combining classical and modern orchestral music, digital video art, light installations and hands-on elements in a live experience that breaks all boundaries. Classroom visit is a project in which musicians go to school or kindergarten presenting their instruments and Concerts for people with dementia or a chamber music series in cooperation with the Nuremberg museums and cross-genre productions with jazz and pop music round off the commitment. Versatile Chief Conductor with extensive experience As of September 2022, the internationally acclaimed, charismatic Briton Jonathan Darlington was named chief conductor. With his vast experience, Darlington represents a rare blend of artistic excellence, infectious vitality and charming communication skills – all of them strengths promising an extraordinarily fruitful collaboration.

Find out more at www.nuernbergersymphoniker.de

The Cottbus State Theatre Philharmonic Orchestra can look back on over 100 years of history. Performances by the orchestra have been documented since October 1912. In addition to operatic works, the Philharmonic Concerts are at the centre of the orchestra's work. The classical-romantic repertoire is traditionally cultivated in this context, as is the music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The start of the 09/10 season saw the launch of the "Eight world premieres in eight concerts" project, which is unique in Germany, if not the world. Each season, a new work was commissioned from various established or previously unknown contemporary composers for all eight subscription concerts. In recognition of this work, the orchestra received the "Best Concert Programme" award from the Deutscher Musikverleger-Verband e. V. (DMV) for the 10/11 season in March 2011. In addition to the orchestra's commitment to contemporary music, which is unique in the German orchestral landscape, the DMV emphasised in particular the focus on versatile music education. Regular dialogue and cooperation with various schools as well as large-scale special projects are just as much a part of the orchestra's work as school and family concerts or chamber concerts for very young children and their parents. With various events such as flash mobs or open-air concerts, the Philharmonic Orchestra regularly brings music to the city and the whole of Brandenburg in low-threshold, sometimes interactive music formats: in squares, shopping centres and shops, at the university or in Branitz Park.

In the 18/19 season, Alexander Merzyn took over the direction of the Philharmonic Orchestra and provided cross-border perspectives: concerts on Germany's neighbouring countries were a major focus of the past seasons alongside the large-scale works of the international classical-romantic repertoire.

Violinist Antje Weithaas worked closely with the orchestra as artist-in-residence during the 19/20 season. The fact that the international career paths of various up-and-coming soloists are linked to the Cottbus orchestra is further evidence of the orchestra management's special focus on working with young, promising talent.

Under the slogan "Tradition and new beginnings", the orchestra launched a concert series in the 20/21 season on the great philosophical questions that composers of all times have addressed in their music. Back in spring 2020, the musicians set out on a journey to the people with their "Concerts for Cottbus" during the lockdown. They surprised people with musical encouragement in small formations, sometimes in unusual locations, in line with the pandemic. The expansion of digital formats has also been a natural part of the orchestra's work since then. Several digital offerings are currently available free of charge on the State Theatre's website.

The Philharmonic Orchestra performs regularly at various theatres in Brandenburg, at the Brandenburg Summer Concerts and at the Chorin Music Summer. Other guest appearances have taken it to Winterthur, Berlin and Paris, as well as to the MusicáMallorca festival for the first time in 2014. Several CD releases document the orchestra's interpretative versatility and artistic quality, including historical recordings, a CD with film music by John Williams and a recording of the first 24 works of the "Eight World Premieres".

Find out more at www.staatstheater-cottbus.de/mitarbeiter/philharmonisches-orchester

The Residentie Orkest is the orchestra of, for and from The Hague. It has firm links with the city and its inhabitants. It also plays a strong role in supporting The Hague’s wider profile as seat of government, home to the royal family and city of peace and justice as well as a centre of diplomacy, a first-rate place to live, a business hub and a city with a socially committed heart. The orchestra actively uses classical music to connect and stimulate all residents and visitors based on four pillars: symphonic, education, talent development and outreach. It aims to make a valuable contribution towards an inclusive, inspiring, collaborative and multi-faceted city.

The orchestra offers a top-quality musical experience with an adventurous profile and dynamic zeal. It challenges, surprises and provides enjoyment and always looks to approach its music in a fresh, contemporary and youthful way. The orchestra is located in the concert hall Amare in the centre of The Hague. The Residentie Orkest can also be heard frequently at locations such as the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht and De Doelen in Rotterdam. In addition, special crossover concerts and other innovative productions are performed in The Hague’s prominent pop venue Paard.

The Residentie Orkest is also part of many prolific collaborations with a wide range of partners, including Pieterskerk in Leiden, the Dutch National Theatre, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, the classics series of the Dutch broadcasters AVROTROS and NTR and the Dutch National Opera. In recent seasons, the orchestra has played in a highly acclaimed production of Messiaen's rarely performed opera Saint François d’Asisse as well as in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites, Puccini's La bohème and Madama Butterfly, Verdi’s Nabucco, the world premiere of Ritratto by Willem Jeths and the Dutch premiere of Blue by Jeanine Tesori.

Since its first concert in 1904, the Residentie Orkest has developed into one of the most prominent symphony orchestras in the Netherlands. Founded by Dr Henri Viotta, who was also its first chief conductor, it soon attracted composers like Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Max Reger, Maurice Ravel, Paul Hindemith and Vincent d’Indy. Guest conductors have included Arturo Toscanini, George Szell, Bruno Walter, Leonard Bernstein and Hans Knappertsbusch. After World War II, Willem van Otterloo was appointed chief conductor. He led the orchestra from 1949 to 1973 and built a strong reputation by combining high-quality performances with adventurous programming. Van Otterloo was succeeded by Jean Martinon, Ferdinand Leitner, Hans Vonk, Evgenii Svetlanov, Jaap van Zweden, Neeme Järvi and Nicholas Collon.

The orchestra has built up a rich discography with labels such as BIS, Chandos, Challenge, Philips, Naxos and DGG. The Residentie Orkest can also be heard frequently in many major concert halls across the world. Its various tours have included New York, Boston, Chicago, London and Vienna and the orchestra has also performed in Japan, China, Germany, France and South America.

Anja Bihlmaier is currently chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest. In the summer of 2025 she will be succeeded by the current principal guest conductor Jun Märkl. Richard Egarr is principal guest conductor and Chloe Rooke will be emerging artist in residence from the 2024-2025 season.

Find out more at https://en.residentieorkest.nl

Schloss Bückeburg is known to be a magnet for visitors interested in culture. From the 2023/24 season, a new concert series with renowned soloists from the classical music scene will open in the magnificent ballroom. The "Schaumburg Castle Concerts" with their artistic director Prof. Boris Kusnezow will thus set a cultural exclamation mark for the region and beyond. In addition to artistic excellence, proximity to the audience with active participation in the concert programme plays an important role in the concert series. Moderated artist talks not only break down the barrier between audience and artist, they also facilitate and deepen access to the works performed. Thanks to generous funding from the Loewe Foundation, the Stiftung Niedersachsen and the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung in association with Sparkasse Schaumburg, concertgoers can look forward to fair ticket prices and a lucrative subscription.

Find out more at www.schaumburger-schlosskonzerte.de

For more than 100 years, Schloss Elmau has cultivated a cultural tradition that is unique in the world. The five-star superior hotel is located 100 kilometres south of Munich in a spectacular secluded location at the foot of the Wettersteinwand – surrounded by crystal-clear lakes, fragrant forests and primeval hummock meadows – and was the residence of the heads of state and government during the G7 summits in 2015 and 2022.

Since its opening year in 1916, Schloss Elmau has been a centre of the international classical music, jazz and literature world. The legendary, acoustically outstanding concert hall hosts up to 230 concerts and readings with great musicians and artists every year – always in tune with the times and with great variety. In addition to the concerts spread throughout the year, numerous festivals invite you to immerse yourself in the programme over several days each year – such as the Chamber Music Week, the European Jazz Festival, the Verbier Festival @ Schloss Elmau, the Book Fair Days or Literature Days with a changing focus. In addition, Schloss Elmau itself presents curated festival weeks by outstanding artists such as the world-renowned baritone Christian Gerhaher and star violinist Daniel Hope. The programme is complemented by events to promote young musicians and collaborations with educational institutions such as the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, the Kronberg Academy and partnerships with outstanding competitions.

Schloss Elmau serves as a refuge, rehearsal space and experimental area for artists from all over the world. Artistic pairings are forged here, songs are written, new programmes are rehearsed and CDs are recorded. With 8 grand pianos and round-the-clock rehearsal facilities, Schloss Elmau offers its artists the perfect infrastructure for their artistic work while they and their audiences can relax with friends and families.

Among the artists who have performed or are performing at Schloss Elmau are the great artists of the past decades, including the Amadeus Quartet, Martha Argerich, Avi Avital, Julian Barnes, Lisa Batiashvili, T.C. Boyle, Alfred Brendel, Benjamin Britten, Till Brönner, Yefim Bronfman, Khatia Buniatishvili, John Burnside, Joseph Calleja, Gautier Capuçon, Renaud Capuçon, Christopher Clark, Chick Corea, Dan Diner, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Saul Friedländer, Sol Gabetta, Jan Garbarek, Timothy Garton Ash, Christian Gerhaher, Friedrich Gulda, Jürgen Habermas, Thomas Hampson, André Heller, Daniel Hope, Janine Jansen, Hans Jonas, Leonidas Kavakos, Navid Kermani, Alexander Kluge, Gidon Kremer, Nils Landgren, Walter Laqueur, Igor Levit, Loriot, Ian McEwan, Mischa Maisky, Brad Mehldau, Yehudi Menuhin, Sabine Meyer, Herfried Münkler, Bill Murray, Gregory Porter, Thomas Quasthoff, Quatuor Ebène, Fazil Say, Grigory Sokolov, Esbjörn Svenson, Daniil Trifonov, Arcadi Volodos, Yuja Wang, Michael Wollny, Frank Peter Zimmermann and many others.

Find out more at www.schloss-elmau.de

The Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker are Germany's oldest chamber music festival and also one of the most innovative. Under the artistic direction of violinist, chamber musician and university professor Oliver Wille since 2016, today more than ever it sees itself as a festival week of shared discoveries – of exciting concert formats, evocative programmes, unusual venues, international artistic personalities and up-and-coming young talents.

The "Sommerliche" are characterised by the courage to venture encounters with unknown composers, artists and works, as well as their exploration of the supposedly familiar.

Programmes individually developed for Hitzacker, personal contact between artists and audiences, many opportunities to meet music and people make the festival an inspiring festival venue beyond commerce and event culture.

In addition to the main concerts, there are programmes of workshops, lectures, artist talks, excursions and courses for amateur musicians throughout the day.

The promotion of young musicians has traditionally played an important role in the festival, for example by organising its own festival academies or inviting excellent prizewinners.

Hitzacker is an open, lively place on the Elbe, away from the big metropolises. Every summer, for nine days around August 1, the festival transforms the picturesque half-timbered town into a focal point of cultural interaction with an international reach. The festival attracts around 10,000 visitors every year.

Find out more at www.musiktage-hitzacker.de

SPANUNGEN: MUSIK IM RWE-KRAFTWERK HEIMBACH is conceived as an annual, week-long chamber music festival in the second half of June. The concerts are organised in the Heimbach hydroelectric power station, Germany's most beautiful art nouveau power station (1905), which is nestled in the idyllic landscape of the Rureifel.

SPANNUNGEN: took place for the first time in June 1998. With pianist Lars Vogt as artistic director, internationally renowned artists delighted a discerning audience, who sometimes followed the sold-out concerts between old turbines, gleaming brass instruments and art deco lamps almost devoutly. Since then, the response from the audience has been overwhelming, with ticket sales barely keeping up with the demand. The press reported enthusiastically. Christian Tetzlaff is the new Artistic Director. He has been a regular member of SPANNUNGEN: from the very beginning. He had a close artistic and personal friendship with the deceased festival founder Lars Vogt.

Freely accessible rehearsals in "Burg Hengebach" create a workshop atmosphere that captivates many music lovers. The artists and the audience have now merged into one unit, they know each other! The concert recordings are broadcast by media partner Deutschlandfunk and reach several hundred thousand listeners nationwide per concert; the recordings are also occasionally released on CD.

Find out more at www.spannungen.de

A fresh and gripping musical approach and stylistic diversity from early to contemporary music are the distinctive mark of the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra based in Pforzheim. With a fixed base of fourteen musicians from seven countries the ensemble is one of the very few full-time chamber orchestras and recognized for its exceptional homogeneity and flexibility of the sound.
  
The Southwest German Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1950 by Friedrich Tilegant, a pupil of Paul Hindemith. The ensemble quickly gained international recognition and was heard at the festivals in Salzburg, Lucerne and Leipzig as well as on world-wide tours and on numerous recordings (Deutsche Grammophon, Vox, Erato, Telefunken, Intercord). Yehudi Menuhin, Maurice André, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Frans Brüggen and Henryk Szeryng were just some of the great musicians who have worked with the orchestra.

Following the Tilegant era the orchestra was directed by Paul Angerer, Vladislav Czarnecki, Sebastian Tewinkel and Timo Handschuh. With the start of the 2019-20 season the British conductor Douglas Bostock has assumed the position of Artistic Director.

The Southwest German Chamber Orchestra has made numerous radio broadcasts and more than 300 recordings, of which a number have been awarded international prizes. Currently the orchestra plays together with renowned soloists such as Nigel Kennedy, Mischa Maisky, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Yuri Bashmet, Lilya Zilberstein, Sergej Krylov, Hansjörg Schellenberger and Bernd Glemser.

It has been invited to perform in almost all European countries (Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Prague Autumn, Flanders Festival, EuroMediterraneo International Festival Rome, Vienna OsterKlang Festival, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, Tonhalle Zurich, Berlin, Munich and Cologne Philharmony, Sala Verdi Milan, Royal Concert Society Antwerp, Great Synagogue Budapest) as well as in the USA and Japan.

Find out more at www.swdko-pforzheim.de

Driven by the passion, quality and inspiration of its members, the name Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn (WKO) stands for a style of music-making that is as energetic as it is subtle. Together with the expertise of sensitive accompaniment, which is highly valued by many soloists, this forms the foundation for the orchestra's international success story.

The WKO is a welcome guest on important international stages – most recently at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, the Cologne Philharmonie, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Rheingau Music Festival. In autumn 2022, the WKO completed an extremely successful tour across South Korea under the baton of Case Scaglione and with soloist Michael Barenboim (violin).

In addition to its extensive touring activities, the WKO organises its own subscription series in Heilbronn and Ulm. The WKO shapes musical events in its home region through regular music theatre productions with the Heilbronn Theatre and the annual Klassik Open Air in Heilbronn city centre, which was initiated by the orchestra. In addition to innovative concert format most recently an evening with Poetry Siam and orchestral music the WKO presents its imaginative educational programme "lnEar" for children and young people of all ages, as well as a chamber music series conceived by the orchestra members themselves.
As a chamber orchestra, the WKO has both the ability to develop orchestral splendour and the classical virtues of a chamber music ensemble. The latter also enables the orchestra to perform under the direction of either the soloist or the concertmaster.

The list of soloists with whom the WKO has appeared on stage reads like a Who's Who of music history, including Martha Argerich, Maurice Andre, Alfred Brendel, Rudolf Buchbinder, Giora Feidman, James Galway, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Meisky, Katia & Marielle Labeque, lvo Pogorelich and Thomas Ouasthoff. The WKO has a special relationship with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who has performed around 150 concerts with the WKO under the direction of orchestra founder Jörg Faerber. More recent performances include those with Julia Fischer, Gautier Capucon, Sabine Meyer, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Herbert Schuch, Johannes Moser, Sharon Kam, Daniel Müller-Schott, Asya Fateyeva, Carolin Widmann, Matthias Kirschnereit, Lena Neudauer, Arabella Steinbacher and Daniel Ottensamer.

The WKO's range of activities is rounded off by its numerous recordings: More than 500 productions can be recorded. The CD recording of works by Nikolai Kapustin with pianist Frank Dupree was honoured with the prestigious ICMA 2022 award. The young double bass virtuoso Dominik Wagner received an Opus Klassik 2022 for his CD "Revolution of Bass".
The WKO is the life's work of conductor Jörg Faerber. He founded the orchestra and led it to international renown. Faerber and his visionary work were followed in 2002 by the Armenian-born conductor Ruben Gazarian. Gazarian significantly expanded the repertoire – a line that his successor, Texan Case Scaglione, who has been Chief Conductor since the 2018/19 season, has consistently pursued.

The solo concertos for violin (with Michael Barenboim), cello (with Alisa Weilerstein) and piano (with Yeol Eum Son) were performed and recorded to mark the 100th anniversary of György Ligeti's birth in 2022.

The conductor and violinist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian is closely associated with the WKO as an "Artistic Partner". In early summer 2023, the WKO also appointed pianist, conductor and percussionist Frank Dupree as its Artistic Partner. With its two "WKO Young Artists" – cellist Friedrich Thiele and double bassist Dominik Wagner – the orchestra is continuing its decades-long tradition of supporting outstanding young artists.

Find out more at www.wko-heilbronn.de