The Grafenegg Festival is a major international classical music festival in

Grafenegg Grafenegg is a market town (Municipality) in the Krems-Land district of Lower Austria, Austria. History Originally called Etsdorf-Haitzendorf, it changed its name in 2003. Population Sights Grafenegg is renowned for Grafenegg Castle, owned ...

, close to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria. The annual festival takes place on the grounds of

Grafenegg Castle Grafenegg is a market town (Municipality) in the Krems-Land district of Lower Austria, Austria. History Originally called Etsdorf-Haitzendorf, it changed its name in 2003. Population Sights Grafenegg is renowned for Grafenegg Castle, owned ...

. Two venues have been built particularly for the festival in the park of the castle: The open-air stage Wolkenturm (capacity 2,000 in total, opened 2007) as well as the new concert hall Auditorium (capacity 1,372, opened 2008). The artistic director is pianist

Rudolf Buchbinder Rudolf Buchbinder (born 1 December 1946, Litoměřice, Czechoslovakia) is an Austrian classical pianist. Biography Buchbinder studied with Bruno Seidlhofer at the Vienna Academy of Music. In 1965, he made a tour of North and South Americas. In 1 ...

. The festival's program consists of symphonic and chamber music as well as recitals. International guest orchestras are performing as well as the Austrian

Tonkünstler Orchestra The Tonkunstler Orchestra (German: ''Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich'', ) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna and Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria. Origin of the name The orchestra's name has its origins in the ''Tonkünstler-Soziet� ...

, which serves as orchestra in residence. The first festival started on 23 August 2007 and lasted until 9 September 2007.

Composer in Residence

The festival also serves as the major introduction of the annual Grafenegg

composer in residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

. During the festivities the composer in residence presents various newly commissioned works and holds exclusive workshops for young composers and conductors. Grafenegg Composers in Residence: *

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', ''Polish Requiem'', ''A ...

(2007) *

Heinz Holliger Heinz Robert Holliger (born 21 May 1939) is a Swiss virtuoso oboist, composer and conductor. Celebrated for his versatility and technique, Holliger is among the most prominent oboists of his generation. His repertoire includes Baroque and Classic ...

(2008) *

Tan Dun Tan Dun (, ; born 18 August 1957) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a dichotomy which has shaped much of his life and ...

(2009) *

Cristóbal Halffter Cristóbal Halffter Jiménez-Encina (24 March 1930 – 23 May 2021) was a Spanish classical composer. He was the nephew of two other composers, Rodolfo and Ernesto Halffter and is regarded as the most important Spanish composer of the gener ...

(2010) *

Heinz Karl Gruber Heinz Karl "Nali" Gruber (born 3 January 1943), who styles himself HK Gruber professionally, is an Austrian composer, conductor, double bass player and singer. He is a leading figure of the so-called Third Viennese School. Career Gruber is said to ...

(2011) *

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMi ...

(2012) *

Brett Dean Brett Dean (born 23 October 1961) is an Australian composer, violist and conductor. Biography Brett Dean was born, raised and educated in Brisbane. He started learning violin at the age of eight, and later studied viola with Elizabeth Morgan a ...

(2013) *

Jörg Widmann Jörg Widmann (born 19 June 1973) is a German composer, conductor and clarinetist. In 2018, Widmann was the third most performed contemporary composer in the world. Formerly a clarinet and composition professor at the University of Music Freibu ...

(2014) *

Matthias Pintscher Matthias Pintscher (born 29 January 1971) is a German composer and conductor. As a youth, he studied the violin and conducting. Life and career Pintscher was born in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia. He began his music studies with Giselher Klebe in ...

(2015) * Christian Jost (2016) * Brad Lubman (2017) *

Ryan Wigglesworth Ryan Wigglesworth (born 31 August 1979, Yorkshire) is a British composer, conductor and pianist. Biography Wigglesworth read music at Oxford University, where he held the position of Organ Scholar at New College, and continued his music studies ...

(2018) *

Peter Ruzicka Peter Ruzicka (born 3 July 1948) is a German composer and conductor of classical music. He was director of the Hamburg State Opera, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Hamburg and the Salzburg Festival. Ruzicka was managing director and Intendant of ...

(2019) *

Konstantia Gourzi Konstantía Gourzí (Greek Κωνσταντία Γουρζή, born 31 March 1962 in Athens) is a Greek composer and conductor. She is professor of ensemble conducting and new music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Life and ...

(2020) *

Toshio Hosokawa is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music. He studied in Germany but returned to Japan, finding a personal style inspired by classical Japanese music and culture. He has composed operas, the oratorio ''Voiceless Voice in Hiroshima' ...

(2021)

References

External links

Official website GrafeneggOrchestra in residence: Tonkünstler-OrchestraReview of Grafenegg Castle
{{Authority control Music festivals established in 2007 Music festivals in Austria Classical music festivals in Austria Summer festivals Festivals in Vienna