Junge Deutsche Philharmonie

Junge Deutsche Philharmonie brings together the best students from German speaking music academies and, following a successful audition, shapes them into an orchestra with the highest artistic standards. With its joy of playing and unmistakable energy, the orchestra has been inspiring audiences and critics for more than fifty years.

For each concert project, the ensemble is newly assembled and approaches its programmes with care and passion – as if the work had only just been created. Alongside this contemporary engagement with works from the classical and romantic repertoire, the music of the 20th and 21st centuries forms a fundamental part of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie’s artistic identity. The innovative rethinking of traditional concert formats, the contextualisation of programmes and the communication of an unreserved enthusiasm for music are further focal points of the orchestra’s work.

Since its founding in 1974, a grassroots democratic structure has been a guiding principle of collaboration within the orchestra. Renowned ensembles that emerged from the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie have adopted this approach as a model – among them Ensemble Modern, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Freiburger Barockorchester and Ensemble Resonanz.

On regular international tours, the orchestra performs together with distinguished conductors and established soloists in major European concert halls. Every two years, within the framework of the FREISPIEL format, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie develops musical projects beyond the traditional concert – including festivals, silent film projects or music theatre productions.