Orchestras and ensembles

For many students, the Mozarteum University Symphony Orchestra provides a first taste of performing at a professional level. Under the direction of renowned conductors, they gain valuable stage experience and receive essential impulses for their artistic development. Personalities such as Bernhard Paumgartner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Michael Gielen, Dennis Russell Davies, Peter Schneider, Gerd Albrecht, André Previn and Cornelius Meister have all graced the stage at the Mozarteum University Salzburg.

The position of chief conductor was held from 2013 to autumn 2015 by Hans Graf, followed by Bruno Weil, Reinhard Goebel and Johannes Kalitzke in the years to 2018. Since the beginning of the winter semester 2020/21, the orchestra has been directed by the internationally acclaimed Ion Marin, who is also responsible for training the university's conducting students. Concert invitations have already taken the orchestra to the Salzburg Mozart Week, the Salzburg Culture Days, the Salzburg Festival, the Wels Subscription Concerts, the Vienna Konzerthaus and several other European cities of cultural significance.

The Academy Orchestra is a new orchestra of Mozarteum University that was founded in autumn 2022 and is a beacon for the orchestra sector. Its foundation was made possible by generous donations from Jovanka & Hans Porsche and Honorary Senator Sylvia Madsack. The world's most renowned music universities engage academy orchestras as partner ensembles for students in the solo field. Outstanding piano, string and wind students who have won prizes at international competitions around the world now have an orchestra to work with at university. The academy orchestra is made up of 25 students who qualify for the individual positions in a selection process. The members form a permanent instrumental ensemble for one year at a time, which works and performs with the best performers at the university under the direction of experienced and renowned conductors. Conducting students are also invited to work with the orchestra individual concert projects. The orchestra also performs oratorio and opera under the direction of Jörn Andresen. In addition, the academy orchestra is a regular guest at the Salzburg Mozart Week under the direction of Ion Marin. The artistic direction of the Academy Orchestra is in the hands of Alexander Drčar.

The Bläserphilharmonie stands for wind music at the highest level. It was founded in 2002 with the central objective of positioning the orchestra on an equal footing with classical symphony orchestras by performing original compositions as well as special wind symphonic arrangements.

Through regular concerts and CD recordings and the typical sound aesthetic developed by Hansjörg Angerer (chief conductor 2002-2022), the orchestra has established itself over the years as one of the leading international symphonic wind bands. In various instrumentations, the Bläserphilharmonie plays contemporary compositions as well as works from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods and traditional Austrian music.

Artistic Director: Andreas Martin Hofmeir

In recent years, the Baroque Orchestra has strengthened its cooperation with local and international partners and also organises regular concerts in the historic performance spaces of the city of Salzburg (especially the Residenz).

Department for Early Music

The newly formed ensemble for contemporary music considers itself as a platform that can be used for testing new ideas and at the same time aims to promote the audience's understanding and appreciation of contemporary music. In future, the ensemble will develop new works together with musicians and composition students, organise concerts, accompany the final concerts of the composition students and interpret their world premieres. Central to the ensemble is the increased networking of composing and performing students at the Mozarteum University and trying out new things together.

Ensemble 2024/25:
Hyunyeong Jang, Kamile Kubiliūtė, Arieta Liatsi - violin
Maria Galkina, Jiliang Shi - viola
Ignacio Garcia Nunez - violoncello
Leona Rajakowitsch - flute
Maurycy Hartman, Minje Seo - clarinet
Jorge Villatoro - bassoon
Mario Gordon Sanjur - horn
Alba Llorach-Roca, Dasom Woo - piano
David Hödlmoser - percussion

Kai Röhrig - conductor
Magdalena Croll - Project Management/Development/PR

The Mozarteum UniChor is engaged in large-scale works for choir and orchestra. In the winter semester, rehearsals take place weekly on Tuesdays between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm. In the summer semester there is a rehearsal weekend and an intensive project phase directly before the semester concert. In principle, the choir is open to all students and staff of the Mozarteum. In the past, Paulus by Mendelssohn and the German Requiem by Brahms have been performed. In November of the academic year 22/23, there was an open Christmas carol singing in the Solitär.

In the summer semester of 2023, one of the most important English vocal works, Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Sea Symphony" was performed in the Kollegienkirche Salzburg, followed by a tour to Dresden (with the same programme) in early July.

Direction:
Choral conducting students (winter semester).
Jörn Andresen (summer semester)