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Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra was established in 1946, when refugee musicians from the German Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague and from Carlsbad and Silesia settled in the medieval city of Bamberg, which had survived the war unscathed. Since then the Orchestra has been a proud guardian of Germany’s symphonic tradition and, as the country’s most-travelled orchestra, its touring ambassador; it was the first German orchestra to tour Europe, the USA, Asia and Africa after World War II. Noted for its warm sound and singing style, the orchestra is a leading interpreter not only of the Classical and Romantic repertory but also of some of the most challenging and rewarding contemporary works, including its own commissions.
The first Principal Conductor was Joseph Keilberth, formerly the General Music Director of the German Philharmonic in Prague, who retained the position until his death in 1968; he was succeeded by James Loughran and Horst Stein, who is now Honorary Conductor for Life.
Among the leading conductors who have collaborated with the Orchestra are Herbert Blomstedt, Eugen Jochum, Rudolf Kempe, Hans Knappertsbusch, Clemens Krauss, Georg Solti, Gerd Albrecht, Christoph von Dohnányi, Semyon Bychkov, Mariss Jansons, Günter Wand, Ingo Metzmacher and Wolfgang Sawallisch. In 2006 Herbert Blomstedt was given the title of Honorary Conductor.
Jonathan Nott has been the orchestra’s Principal Conductor since 2000 and in that time he has regularly performed with the orchestra both throughout Germany and abroad. In 2003 they made their debut together at the Edinburgh International Festival and were immediately re-invited to give a five concert Residency at the 2005 Festival with programmes which ranged from Wagner to Widmann. This high profile engagement followed two major concerts at the Lincoln Center, New York in May 2005 which reaffirmed the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra’s international status on both sides of the Atlantic. 2006 saw extensive touring throughout Europe including performances in Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Vienna, Luxembourg and London as well as a high-profile tour of Japan.
In 2007 Jonathan Nott and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra continued what has been seen as a visionary partnership with important projects both at home and abroad; in April 2007 the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra hosted the Second International Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition; in July the orchestra performed at the St Petersburg White Night’s Festival; in August/September they were the focus of a Residency at the prestigious Lucerne Festival and October saw them on tour in China.Alongside its activities on-stage, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra enjoys a recording contract with the Swiss label Tudor which, in co-operation with Bavarian Radio, has recorded and released 9 CDs to date with music ranging from Schubert, Bruckner, Mahler, Janacek to Henze and Rihm.
The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra is funded through financial contributions from the State of Bavaria, the Federal German Government, the City of Bamberg and the Region of Frankonia.
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