The Symphoniker Hamburg (''Hamburg Symphony Orchestra'') is a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
based in
Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 1957, it is one of the city's three largest orchestras. The Hamburg Symphony Orchestra is the orchestra in residence in the
Laeiszhalle
The Laeiszhalle (), formerly Musikhalle Hamburg, is a concert hall in the Neustadt of Hamburg, Germany and home to the Hamburger Symphoniker and the Philharmoniker Hamburg. The hall is named after the German shipowning company F. Laeisz, f ...
, the Hamburg Music Hall. In addition to symphony concerts, the Hamburg Symphony regularly performs as accompanying ensembles for operas and ballets at the
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Genera ...
House. The orchestra also offers subscription series of children's concerts, and annual open-air concerts held in the central courtyard of Hamburg's town hall.
History
The Hamburg Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert on 16 October 1957 under the direction of its first chief conductor,
Robert Heger
Robert Heger (19 August 1886 – 14 January 1978) was a German conductor and composer from Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine.
Life and career
He studied at the Conservatory of Strasbourg under Franz Stockhausen, then in Zurich under Lothar ...
. Heger served in the post until 1961. His successors included Heribert Beissel, who has held the longest tenure as chief conductor to date from 1972–1986,
Carlos Kalmar
Carlos Kalmar (born February 26, 1958, in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan conductor.Macaluso, p. 194
Biography
Kalmar began violin studies at age six. At age fifteen, he enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Music where his conducting teacher was Karl ...
(1987–1991), Miguel Gómez-Martinez (1992–1999), and