Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra
The Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (German: Nürnberger Symphoniker) is a German orchestra based in Nuremberg. Its principal concert venue is the Meistersingerhalle. The orchestra's current Intendant (Managing and Artistic Director) is Lucius A. Hemmer, since September 2003. Since 2009, its chief conductor is Alexander Shelley.
The orchestra began in 1946 as the Franconia State Orchestra (Fränkisches Landesorchester), with Erich Kloss as its first chief conductor. In the early 1950s, the orchestra accrued international acclaim for their recordings of the sound tracks to Quo Vadis and Ben Hur by Miklós Rózsa.
The orchestra took its current name in 1963 for the dedication of the newly built Meistersingerhalle.[1] In 1993, they won a Grammy Award in the category Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the soundtrack of Beauty and the Beast.[2]
Since 2008, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra has a new rehearsal and concert hall with a seating capacity of 515, the Neuer Musiksaal. During the summer, it also presents an open-air concert series in the Serenadenhof, the southern courtyard of the Congress Hall.
Alexander Shelley has been the Principal Conductor of the orchestra since 2009. He is scheduled to conclude his Nuremberg at the end of the 2016-2017 season. In January 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Kahchun Wong as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2018-2019 season.[3]
After serving as festival orchestra of the Heidenheim Opera Festival for 25 years, the Nuremberg Symphony took over the same position at Frankonian Summer Festival in 2013. The orchestra has recorded both for the Bavarian radio (Bayerischer Rundfunk) and for commercial CD labels. Every summer, the orchestra participates in Europe's largest open air classical music event, Klassik Open Air.[4]
Chief conductors
- Erich Kloss (1949–1968)
- Othmar Mága (1968–1970)
- Günter Neidlinger (1971–1974)
- Werner Andreas Albert (1974–1980)
- Klauspeter Seibel (1980–1988)
- Georg Schmöhe (1989–1992)
- Thomas Gabrisch (1994–1997)
- Jac van Steen (1997–2002)
- Bernhard Gueller (2005–2009)
- Alexander Shelley (2009-present)
References
- ↑ "Meistersingerhalle on the official Nuremberg website". Retrieved May 19, 2011.
- ↑ "1993 Grammy Awards (see Best Pop Instrumental Performance)". Retrieved May 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Kahchun Wong wird neuer Chefdirigent" (PDF) (Press release). Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
- ↑ "Klassik Open Air on BR-online (German language)". 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
External links
- Nuremberg Symphony official website
- Open air music festival Klassik Open Air