The Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra) is a French orchestra based in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

. It is one of the two permanent orchestras of the

Opéra national du Rhin The Opéra national du Rhin is an opera company which performs in Alsace, eastern France. It includes the Opéras in Strasbourg, in Mulhouse, where the Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin, also known as the Ballet Du Rhin, is based, and in Colmar, ...

(the other being the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse). The orchestra's current principal venue is the

Palais de la musique et des congrès The Palais de la musique et des congrès (official English name: Strasbourg Convention Centre) is a music venue and convention center in the Wacken district of Strasbourg, France, close to the European quarter. It is home to the orchestra, Orch ...

'Pierre Pflimlin' (PMC Pierre-Pflimlin, or PMC).

History

The orchestra was founded in 1855. Between 1871 and 1918, and 1940 and 1944, the orchestra had been 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 **Ge ...

one, resulting from conflicts between France and Germany over the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

region. In 1994, the orchestra acquired the official title of ''Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg – orchestre national''. Composers-in-residence have included the French composers

Jean-Louis Agobet Jean-Louis Agobet (born 21 April 1968) is a French composer. Agobet was born in Blois Loir-et-Cher. He studied with Philippe Manoury at the Conservatoire de Lyon. Following a residence at the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg conductor Fran� ...

and

Philippe Manoury Philippe Manoury (born 19 June 1952) is a French composer. Biography Manoury was born in Tulle and began composition studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris with Gérard Condé and Max Deutsch. He continued his studies from 1974 to ...

, the Finnish composer

Kaija Saariaho Kaija Anneli Saariaho (; ; born 14 October 1952) is a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho has received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Inter ...

, the American composer John Corigliano, and the Greek composer

Georges Aperghis Georges Aperghis ( el, Γιώργος Απέργης; born 23 December 1945) is a Greek composer working primarily in the field of experimental music theater but has also composed a large amount of non- programmatic chamber music. He lives in Fr ...

. Past music directors and chief conductors have included

Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the s ...

Hans Rosbaud Hans Rosbaud (22 July 1895 – 29 December 1962) was an Austrian conductor, particularly associated with the music of the twentieth century. Biography Rosbaud was born in Graz. As children, he and his brother Paul Rosbaud performed with thei ...

Ernest Bour Ernest Bour (20 April 1913 - 20 June 2001) was a noted conductor. Born in Thionville, Moselle (in north-eastern Lorraine, then part of Germany), Bour studied at both the University and the Conservatoire of Strasbourg. His conducting teachers inc ...

Jan Latham-Koenig Jan Betrand Latham-Koenig, (born 1953) is a British conductor. He was born in England, coming from French, Danish and Polish origins. He attended Highgate School and then studied at the Royal College of Music in London before he founded the Ko ...

, Charles Bruck and

Alain Lombard Alain Lombard (born 4 October 1940, Paris) is a French conductor. Career Lombard attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where his studied violin with Line Talleul and conducting with Gaston Poulet. He subsequently secured an appointment at the Op� ...

Marc Albrecht Marc Albrecht (born 1964) is a German conductor who lives in The Netherlands. He was chief conductor of the Dutch National Opera, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra from 2009 to 2020. Biography Born in ...

became artistic advisor of the orchestra in 2005, and music director in 2008. Albrecht and the orchestra have recorded commercially for PENTATONE, including orchestral lieder of

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( , ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...

, and piano concertos by

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

and

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

. Albrecht concluded his tenure in 2011. Marko Letonja served as the orchestra's next music director, from 2012 to 2021. In July 2020, the orchestra announced the appointment of Aziz Shokhakimov as its next music director, effective with the 2021-2022 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. In November 2022, the orchestra announced the extension of Shokhakimov's contract as its music director through 2026.

Music directors

* Josef Hasselmans (1855–1871) *

Franz Stockhausen Franz Stockhausen (January 30, 1839 – January 4, 1926) was a German choral conductor, and a member of a celebrated German musical family. Franz was born in Guebwiller, the brother of the singer and pedagogue Julius Stockhausen, and son of t ...

(1871–1907) *

(1907–1915) *

Otto Klemperer Otto Nossan Klemperer (14 May 18856 July 1973) was a 20th-century conductor and composer, originally based in Germany, and then the US, Hungary and finally Britain. His early career was in opera houses, but he was later better known as a concer ...

(1915–1918) * Hans Pfitzner (1918–1919) *

Guy Ropartz Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz (; 15 June 1864 – 22 November 1955) was a French composer and conductor. His compositions included five symphony, symphonies, three violin sonatas, cello sonatas, six string quartets, a piano trio and string trio (both i ...

(1919–1929) *

Paul Paray Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray () (24 May 1886 – 10 October 1979) was a French conductor, organist and composer. He was the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1952 until 1963. Early life and education Paul Paray was ...

(1929–1940) *

(1940–1945) *

Paul Bastide Paul Adrien Bastide (6 April 1879 – 18 August 1962) was a French conductor and composer. Career Paul Bastide was born at Quimper and studied at the University of Aix-en-Provence and the Paris Conservatoire (with Pessard and Massenet), winnin ...

(1945–1950) *

(1950–1964) *

Alceo Galliera Alceo Galliera (3 May 1910 – 21 April 1996) was a distinguished Italian conductor and composer. He was the son of Arnaldo Galliera (1871—1934) who taught in organ class at the Parma Conservatory. Galliera was born in Milan in 1910 and studie ...

(1964–1971) *

(1971–1983) *

Theodor Guschlbauer Theodor Guschlbauer (born 1939 in Vienna) is an Austrian conductor. Decorations and awards * 1995: Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class * 1996: Honour "Victoire" for his work on the ''Opéra du Rhin'' and at the Strasbourg Phi ...

(1983–1997)''For conductors from 1855 to 1987:'' Van Boer Jnr, BH, Fast, ML. Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra. In: ''Symphony Orchestras of the World'', ed Craven RR. Greenword Press, New York, 1987. *

Jan Latham Koenig Jan Betrand Latham-Koenig, (born 1953) is a British conductor. He was born in England, coming from French, Danish and Polish origins. He attended Highgate School and then studied at the Royal College of Music in London before he founded the Ko ...

(1997–2003) *

(2008–2011) *

Marko Letonja Marko Letonja (born 12 August 1961) is a Slovenian conductor. Biography Letonja studied piano and conducting at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, where his conducting teachers included Anton Nanut. He continued his conducting studies at the ...

(2012–2021) * Aziz Shokhakimov (2021–present)

References

External links

Official website of the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
{{Authority control Organizations based in Strasbourg French orchestras German orchestras Tourist attractions in Strasbourg Musical groups established in 1855 1855 establishments in France Arts organizations established in 1855 Musical groups from Grand Est