The Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra () is a German orchestra based in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

. The second oldest municipal orchestra in Germany, the orchestra is based at the Tonhalle Düsseldorf. In addition to its symphonic concerts, the orchestra serves as one of the two orchestras of the

Deutsche Oper am Rhein The Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine) is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company. Axel Kober has been its music director since 2009. The resident orchestra, t ...

, alongside the

Duisburg Philharmonic The Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra (in German: Duisburger Philharmoniker) is a German orchestra based in Duisburg. The orchestra is resident at the ''Philharmonie Mercatorhalle Duisberg''. The ''Duisburger Philharmoniker'' is the accompanying o ...

History

In May 1818, the Municipal Music Association was formed as part of the 1st Lower Rhine Music Festival.

Friedrich August Burgmüller Friedrich August Burgmüller (3 May 1760 – 21 August 1824) was a German pianist, Kapellmeister and Conducting, conductor as well as the first municipal music director in Düsseldorf and co-founder of the Lower Rhenish Music Festival. He is the fa ...

was hired as the ensemble's first municipal music director. From 1824 to 1833,

Louis Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, ...

and

Ferdinand Ries Ferdinand Ries (baptised 28 November 1784 – 13 January 1838) was a German composer. Ries was a friend, pupil and secretary of Ludwig van Beethoven. He composed eight symphony, symphonies, a violin concerto, nine piano concertos (the first ...

served as interim music directors of the ensemble. Subsequent music directors included

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

(1833–1835),

Ferdinand Hiller Ferdinand (von) Hiller (24 October 1811 – 11 May 1885) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, writer and music director. Biography Ferdinand Hiller was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main, where his father Justus (origin ...

(1847-1850) and

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

(1850-1854). In 1864, the orchestra was officially founded when 34 musicians were officially accepted into the city's service. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Great Hall of the Tonhalle Düsseldorf was renamed Mendelssohn Hall in honor of its former music director. Recent principal conductors of the orchestra have included John Fiore (2000–2008) and

Andrey Boreyko Andrey Boreyko (, ; born 22 July 1957) is a Polish people, Polish-Russian conductor. Biography Boreyko has Polish ancestry on his father's side and Russian ancestry on his mother's side. Boreyko was born in Saint Petersburg. At the Rimsky-Korsa ...

(2009–2014). In 2015,

Ádám Fischer Ádám Fischer (born 9 September 1949 in Budapest) is a Hungarian conductor. He is the general music director of the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, chief conductor of the Danish Chamber Orchestra, and principal conductor of the Düsseldorf ...

became principal conductor of the orchestra. Fischer and the orchestra have recorded Gustav Mahler's symphonic works for the AVI label in association with

Deutschlandfunk Deutschlandfunk (DLF, ''Broadcast Germany'') is a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, concentrating on news and current affairs. It is one of the four national radio channels produced by Deutschlandradio. History Broadcasting in t ...

. In September 2024, the orchestra announced the extension of Fischer's contract as principal conductor through 31 July 2030.

Principal conductors

(1812–1824) *

(1833–1835) * Julius Rietz (1835–1847) *

(1847–1850) *

(1850–1854) * Julius Tausch (1854–1890) * Julius Buths (1890–1908) * Karl Panzner (1908–1923) *

Georg Schnéevoigt Georg Lennart Schnéevoigt (8 November 1872 – 28 November 1947) was a Finnish Conducting, conductor and cellist, born in Vyborg, Grand Duchy of Finland, which is now in Russia, to Ernst Schnéevoigt and Rosa Willandt. Career Schnéevoigt ...

(1924–1925) * Hans Weisbach (1925–1933) * Hugo Balzer (1933–1945) *

Heinrich Hollreiser Heinrich Hollreiser (24 June 1913 – 24 July 2006) was a German conductor. Born in Munich, he attended the State Academy of Music there and went on to serve as the conductor at the opera houses in Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Mannheim, and Duisburg. ...

(1945–1952) * Eugen Szenkar (1952–1960) *

Jean Martinon Jean Francisque-Étienne Martinon (also known as Jean Martinon (); 10 January 19101 March 1976) was a French conductor and composer. Biography Martinon was born in Lyon, where he began his education, going on to the Conservatoire de Paris to ...

(1960–1965) *

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (born Rafael Frühbeck; 15 September 1933 – 11 June 2014) was a Spanish conductor and composer. Frühbeck was born in Burgos, Spain to a family of German ancestry. He first took up conducting while on military serv ...

(1966–1971) * Henryk Czyż (1971–1974) *

Willem van Otterloo Jan Willem van Otterloo (27 December 190727 July 1978) was a Dutch conductor, cello, cellist and composer. Biography Van Otterloo was born in Winterswijk, Gelderland, in the Netherlands, the son of William Frederik van Otterloo, a railway inspe ...

(1974–1977) *

Bernhard Klee Bernhard Klee (born 19 April 1936) is a German conductor, originally from Schleiz, in Thuringia. He studied piano with Else Schmitz-Gohr. Trained as a member of the Thomanerchor, he has since conducted many of Europe's most prestigious orchestras ...

(1977–1987) * David Shallon (1987–1993) * Salvador Mas i Conde (1993–1999) * John Fiore (2000–2008) *

(2009–2014) *

(2015–present)

References

External links

Official concert home page of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker

Tonhalle.de German-language page on the history of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker
{{coord, 51, 13, 55, N, 6, 46, 22, E, region:DE_type:landmark, display=title German symphony orchestras 1818 establishments in the German Confederation Musical groups from Düsseldorf Organisations based in Düsseldorf Orchestras in North Rhine-Westphalia