The Akademische Orchester Leipzig is an amateur symphony orchestra based in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

. It was founded in 1954 by the conductor

Horst Förster Horst may refer to: Science * Horst (geology), a raised fault block bounded by normal faults or graben People * Horst (given name) * Horst (surname) * ter Horst, Dutch surname * van der Horst, Dutch surname Places Settlements Germany * Horst, ...

as the

Collegium musicum The Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in German and German-Swiss cities and towns during the Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century. Generally, while societies such as the (chorale) cultivated ...

of the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

and was part of the University until 1991. Alongside other cultural institutions, it was subordinate to the university's "Main Department of Culture". At the time of reunification, the university separated from its orchestra, and since then it has no longer been an official part of the university. Instead, the Academic Orchestra reorganised itself in 1991 as a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. The

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

is Horst Förster.

Members

As a non-profit association, the Academic Orchestra is committed to student music-making; in addition to students from a wide range of disciplines, it also consists of numerous alumni and other academics. An affiliation to the University of Leipzig or another Leipzig university is not mandatory for the members. The members of the association play music free of charge. For various pieces, the members of the Academic Orchestra are supported by professional musicians from, among others, the

Gewandhaus Orchestra The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...

, the

MDR Symphony Orchestra MDR may refer to: Biology * MDR1, an ATP-dependent cellular efflux pump affording multiple drug resistance * Mammalian Diving reflex * Medical device reporting * Multiple drug resistance, when a microorganism has become resistant to multiple drugs ...

and students of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig.

Concert activity

Since 1956, the orchestra has performed the so-called ''Academic Concerts'' six times a year. Since 1981, the performances have taken place in the Great Hall of the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. For an amateur symphony orchestra, the continuous concert activity with 6 subscription concerts annually is remarkable. The concerts have been mostly sold out for years and are occasionally supplemented by additional chamber concerts. From the 1990s until 2010, the Academic Orchestra organised the annual matriculation ceremony of the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences.

Abroad

Since 1990, the Academic Orchestra has toured abroad to France, Austria, Spain, Italy, Norway, Canada, the US and Japan. In 2008, it made its first guest appearance in China. Before the

Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...

in 1989, foreign tours led to Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.Akademisches Orchester Leipzig
on Munsingo

Awards

* 1979:

Kunstpreis der Stadt Leipzig From 1959 to 1989, the city of Leipzig awarded the Kunstpreis der Stadt Leipzig, which was given for outstanding merits in the artistic field to persons who promoted the reputation of the city beyond the region: architects, visual artists, compos ...

References

External links

* * {{portal bar, Classical music, Germany Leipzig University German symphony orchestras 1954 establishments in Germany