The Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (German: Nürnberger Symphoniker) is a German orchestra based in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. Its principal concert venue is the

Meistersingerhalle Meistersingerhalle is the municipal culture and congress centre of Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is named after the tradition of the Meistersinger (Master singers) in the town, which Wagner reflected in his opera ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnbe ...

. The orchestra's current ''Intendant'' (managing and artistic director) is Lucius A. Hemmer, since September 2003.

History

The orchestra began in 1946 as the

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

State Orchestra (''Fränkisches Landesorchester''), with Erich Kloss as its first chief conductor. In the early 1950s, the orchestra accrued international acclaim for their recordings of the sound tracks to

Quo Vadis ''Quo vadis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?". It is commonly translated, quoting the KJV translation of John 13:36, as "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter's fi ...

and Ben Hur by

Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...

. The orchestra took its current name in 1963 for the dedication of the newly built ''Meistersingerhalle''. In 1993, the orchestra won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in the category ''

Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...

'' for their recording of the original theme song on the soundtrack to

Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

1991 animated film ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

''. Since 2008, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra has a new rehearsal and concert hall with a seating capacity of 515, the ''Neuer Musiksaal''. During the summer, it also presents an open-air concert series in the ''Serenadenhof'', the southern courtyard of the

Congress Hall Congress Hall, located in Philadelphia at the intersection of Chestnut and 6th Streets, served as the seat of the United States Congress from December 6, 1790, to May 14, 1800. During Congress Hall's duration as the capitol of the United State ...

. After serving as festival orchestra of the Heidenheim Opera Festival for 25 years, the Nuremberg Symphony took over the same position at Frankonian Summer Festival in 2013. The orchestra has recorded both for the Bavarian radio (

Bayerischer Rundfunk (; "Bavarian Broadcasting"), shortened to BR (), is a public broadcasting, public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Bavaria, Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD (b ...

) and for commercial CD labels. Every summer, the orchestra participates in Europe's largest open air classical music event, ''Klassik Open Air''. Recent chief conductors of the orchestra have included

Alexander Shelley Alexander Gordon Shelley (born 8 October 1979) is an English conductor. He is the music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Artistic and Music Director ...

(2009-2017) and

Kahchun Wong Wong Kah Chun (; born 24 June 1986), also known as Kahchun Wong, is a Singaporean conductor. Biography Wong was born in 1986 to Victor Wong, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) warrant officer, and Yeo Huay Lan, a childcare teacher. His family lived ...

(2018-2022). In February 2022, the orchestra announced the appointment of

Jonathan Darlington Jonathan Philip Darlington (born 1956 in Lapworth, England) is a British conductor, Music Director Emeritus of the Vancouver Opera and the former Music Director of the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra. He is known for his broad repertoire of both ...

as its chief conductor, effective with the 2022-2023 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.

Chief conductors

* Erich Kloss (1949–1968) *

Othmar Mága Othmar Mága (30 June 1929 – 28 January 2020) was a German conductor, who was chief conductor internationally, including the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Korea. Among his many recordings are several r ...

(1968–1970) * Günter Neidlinger (1971–1974) *

Werner Andreas Albert Werner Andreas Albert (10 January 1935 – 10 November 2019) was a German-born Australian conductor. Personal life Albert was born in Weinheim. He began his studies in musicology and history, and later studied conducting with Herbert von Karaja ...

(1974–1980) *

Klauspeter Seibel Klauspeter Seibel (7 May 1936 in Offenbach am Main – 8 January 2011 in Hamburg) was a German conductor. Trained at the Nuremberg Conservatory and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, he was principal conductor of the Nuremberg Symph ...

(1980–1988) * Georg Schmöhe (1989–1992) * Thomas Gabrisch (1994–1997) *

Jac van Steen Jac van Steen (born 1956 in Eindhoven) is a Dutch conductor. He studied music theory, as well as orchestral and choral conducting, at the . In the Netherlands, van Steen was conductor and music director of the Nijmegen Bach Choir from 1986 to 199 ...

(1997–2002) * Bernhard Gueller (2005–2009) *

(2009–2017) *

(2018–2022) *

(2022–present)

References

External links

Official website of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra
{{Authority control German symphony orchestras Music in Nuremberg Musical groups established in 1946 1946 establishments in Germany Albany Records artists Orchestras in Bavaria