Orchestra
The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie is composed of the best students from German-speaking music conservatories. On this page, you will find all the information about the orchestra’s mission, its grassroots democratic structure, and its history.
About us
The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie brings together the finest students from German-speaking music conservatories to form an ensemble of the highest artistic caliber. With a joy of playing and an unmistakable energy, it has been thrilling audiences and critics alike for over 50 years. Beginning with the 26/27 season, John Storgårds will serve as the orchestra’s principal conductor and artistic advisor.
The orchestra approaches each concert project with the same care and passion as if the works had just been composed. In addition to this contemporary approach to works from the Classical and Romantic repertoires, the music of the 20th and 21st centuries is a fundamental part of the orchestra’s identity. A progressive evolution of traditional concert formats, the contextualization of programs, and the communication of an unconditional enthusiasm for music form the foundation of the orchestra’s artistic approach.
Credit Maximilian Borchardt
The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie brings together the best students from German-speaking music conservatories to form an orchestra of the highest artistic caliber. With their enthusiasm and unmistakable energy, they have been delighting audiences and critics alike for over 50 years. Starting with the 26/27 season, John Storgårds will serve as the orchestra’s principal conductor and artistic advisor.
As a training orchestra, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie serves as a vital bridge between academic study and a professional career for top young musicians and is regarded in the professional orchestral world as a hallmark of artistic excellence.
Under professional guidance, the members gain experience in orchestral work at the highest musical level. Through specialized training programs, they acquire additional skills in a practical and self-directed manner to prepare them for their future as successful, self-assured, and progressive artists.
Credit Maris Eufinger
Since its founding, this grassroots democratic structure has been a fundamental principle of the orchestra’s collaboration. This approach has served as a model for renowned ensembles that have emerged from within the orchestra’s ranks—including the Ensemble Modern, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, and the Ensemble Resonanz. On regular international tours, the orchestra performs in renowned concert halls across Europe alongside top-tier conductors and established soloists. Every two years, as part of the Frei_Spiel series, musical projects that go beyond the traditional concert format are developed—whether festivals, silent film projects, or music theater productions.
In 2025, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, together with the Ensemble Modern and the International Ensemble Modern Academy, launched the initiative Sound Port Frankfurt – Workshop for Music and Experiment. At their shared location, the three institutions are pooling their expertise, energy, and experience in new ways to create an innovative space for music.
Credit Maximilian Borchardt
Principal Conductor
The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie is delighted to welcome John Storgårds as its new Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor beginning with the 2026/27 season. The internationally renowned conductor and violinist is known for his diverse programming and stylistically nuanced interpretations. He is currently Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. For over 25 years, he has also served as Artistic Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. With extensive experience on international concert stages and a special passion for working with young musicians, John Storgårds will play a key role in guiding the orchestra’s artistic development.
Their collaboration will begin with AUFBRUCH in the fall of 2026 and PASTORALIS in the summer of 2027.
Credit Giorgia Bertazzi
“I am deeply honored to have been invited by this community of young, ambitious musicians to become their principal conductor and artistic advisor. I will approach this role with all my heart, my musicality, and my experience.” - John Storgårds
Committees
Since its founding, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie has been organized as a registered association based on grassroots democracy. The orchestra members elect representatives from among themselves to serve on committees that make decisions regarding the orchestra’s future on a volunteer basis, thereby playing a key role in shaping the orchestra’s identity. Drawing on this experience, many former members go on to assume leadership roles in other orchestras.
Members' Meeting
As in any organization, the General Assembly is the highest governing body of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. General Assemblies are held during each phase of the orchestra’s activities, during which important decisions are discussed and voted on democratically.
Executive Board
The Executive Board consists of five members of the orchestra who make all major decisions for the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie on an ongoing basis and coordinate the work of the various committees. The Executive Board maintains constant communication with the management and the administrative staff—and receives professional and dedicated support from them in leading the orchestra. Executive Board members are elected for two-year terms.
Rosa Hagendorf Violin
Spokesperson
Mélie Leneutre Harp
Deputy Spokesperson
Alejandro París Cabezudo Viola
Dascha Schuster Flute
Shu Yi Danneil Violin
Program Committee
The Program Committee consists of five members of the orchestra who are elected for a two-year term. It is responsible for the artistic direction of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, develops the concert programs, and decides on the selection of conductors and soloists.
Group Spokespersons
Each section of the orchestra elects section representatives from among its members. Their responsibilities include putting together the lineup for each project, preparing and conducting auditions, and serving as the first point of contact for questions within the section.
University Delegates
Students from (almost) all German-speaking music conservatories are represented in the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. The conservatory delegates represent the orchestra at their respective conservatories, promote upcoming auditions there, and serve as points of contact for those interested.
Members
Arsham Arasteh Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Juli Minou Bazzazi Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Katharina von Behren Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Maximilian Berger Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim
Dana Bostedt Musikhochschule Münster
Akim Camara Universität der Künste Berlin
Yuri Cho Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
Shu Yi Danneil Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Michael Drescher Musikhochschule Lübeck
Alexandra Grohmann Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Rosa Hagendorf Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Ana Sofia Hartyani Rodrigues Hochschule für Musik Basel
Pauline Hoffmann Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar
Benjamin Hofmann Zürcher Hochschule der Künste
Yue Hu Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Ruo-Chian Huang Universität "Mozarteum" Salzburg
Yun-Chen Huang Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Yi-En Hung Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg
Hayoung Jeong Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
Aisté Karpaviciute Hochschule für Musik Saar
Elene Kheoshvili Hochschule für Musik Aachen
Junghwan Kim Hochschule für Musik Mainz
Rurika Kitahara Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Anisja Knüppel Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Noemie Kurth Musikhochschule Lübeck
Niobe Langmaack Universität der Künste Berlin
Bodam Lee Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Joyel Sel Lee Folkwang Hochschule Essen
Magdalena Maier Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg
Ricardo Müller Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
Seogyun Noh Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Laura Ochmann Zürcher Hochschule der Künste
Eva Otto Hochschule für Musik Detmold
Ina Park Folkwang Hochschule Essen
Seewoo Park Hochschule für Künste Bremen
Janne-Lisabeth Pelz Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Annina Pritschow Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
Maria Karolina Rahmatulla Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Maja Rohde Musikhochschule Lübeck
David Rosenberg Hochschule für Künste Bremen
Wonjay Seo Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
Kosima Shirazi Musikhochschule Lübeck
Camila Taito Jorquera Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg
Billur Tankişi Hochschule für Künste Bremen
Balthasar Thom Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Luise Asuka Tietz Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Lena Uebelhör Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Pavlos Vlitakis Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Gloria-Gina Wagner Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Magdalena Waldauf Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien
Matthias Weiss Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz
Yi-Chen Yang Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz
Jihye Yoon Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim
Anne Aleyna Önce Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Marko Emilio Živković Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien
Jacinta Balbontín Odi Universität "Mozarteum" Salzburg
Felicitas Breyer Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
He-Yuen Cheng Hochschule für Musik Detmold
Maria Dębina Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz
Elias Falk Hochschule für Künste Bremen
Lorenzo Matteo Giannotti Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Wiebke Hansen Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar
Aurelia Hoever Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Hyemin Kim Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Johannes Knorr Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Leona Kondratenko Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Hannah Leonhard Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Lucía Molina Álvarez Folkwang Hochschule Essen
Alejandro París Cabezudo Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar
Livia Paté Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Tessa Paola Rippo Matteis Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen
Judith Sauer Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Jasper Sitte Musikhochschule Lübeck
Hannah Teufel Musikhochschule Lübeck
Stefanie Tran Thu Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Mehmet Leon Capar Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Björn Gard Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Franz Hofereiter Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar
Anemone Hoffmann Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim
Felix Jügelt Hochschule für Musik Saar
Minhee Kim Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Paula Madden Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Eloy Daniel Medina Barreto Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg
Jan Milajev Folkwang Hochschule Essen
Jula Murbach Hochschule für Künste Bremen
Larissa Müller Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar
Zaira Pena Montes Hochschule für Musik Saar
Lea Reutlinger Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Clara Stümke Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Mahgol Taherizamani Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Chien-Ju Yang Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim
Nelika Yukawa Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Malte Zeller Hochschule für Musik Saar
Minseo Gwon Universität der Künste Berlin
Ferdinand Hirschmüller Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Arato Igaki Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Hayeon Kim Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
Hyochul Kim Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Jascha Krams Hochschule für Musik Mainz
Zhilong Liu Hochschule für Musik Detmold
Aaron Petrick Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Joris Samson Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
Johannes Schöne Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien
Klara Streck Universität "Mozarteum" Salzburg
Nikolaj Trivukas Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Johann Warzecha Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
Jiwon Yoon Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
Kelar Frank Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Jeseok Kang Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Lina Kochskämper Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Chaehyun Lee Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Jona Mehlitz Universität der Künste Berlin
Imke Michaels Musikhochschule Lübeck
Hannah Selina Müller Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz
Dascha Schuster Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Jule Stegemann Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Maria Azevedo Martins Hochschule für Musik Detmold
Tamar Ben-Zaken Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Oskar Chodora Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Anton Engelbach Folkwang Hochschule Essen
Anton Franz Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
Jonas Hintermaier Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Victor König Hochschule für Musik Detmold
Jonas Langel Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Sai Miyahara Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Elias Schneider Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Noah Schurig Universität "Mozarteum" Salzburg
Richard Winkler Universität der Künste Berlin
Anisa Dababi Folkwang Hochschule Essen
Charlotte Dohr Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Luisa Gehlen Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Joscha Kremsler Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Xu Li Hochschule für Musik Detmold
Moritz Mihm Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Sehoon Park Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Jakob Plag Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Arabella Purucker Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Gesine Rotzoll Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Vincent Sucheana Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
Jan-Lukas Willms Universität der Künste Berlin
Heejin Yang Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
Charlotte aus dem Siepen Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Elena Benedicto Villar Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Carlo Cesaraccio Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
Marc Garcia Payà Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Jiyoon Kim Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Michael Liu Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Kinga Oláh Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Sebastian Reuten Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe
Georgij Tarasov Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
María Terán Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Alessia Vermi Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Ejin Yun Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Charlotte von Urff Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Felix Bähr Internationale Musikakademie Anton Rubinstein Düsseldorf
Florian Gamberger Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Yi-An Liao Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Caroline Messner Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz
Damien Muller Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar
Noah Plum Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Mariana Santos Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Bastian Spier Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Ceren Çelik Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz
Paula Criado Patricio Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
Greta Anna Déri Universität der Künste Berlin
Robert Franz Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Rafael Hawthorne Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Aaron Lampert Hochschule für Musik Basel
Christian Panzer Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Martin Reiser Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Vince Susla Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Jonathan Balciunas Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Jonathan Debus Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
Fabian Kurpiela Hochschule für Musik Basel
Manuel Lodes Hochschule für Musik Saar
Renzhi Lu Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar
Mehdi Missoum Hochschule für Musik Basel
Justus Schuster Musikhochschule Lübeck
Annabell Weidenauer Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim
Noel Zach Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
Jonathan Böhm Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Manuel Duppel Valenzuela Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Sebastian Forstmaier Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
James Reid Folkwang Hochschule Essen
Fedir Sheiko Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Maximilian Bruckner Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien
Benjamin Joost-Meyer zu Bakum Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Toomas Oskar Kahur Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover
Mátyás Kapitány Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Jannik Schmidt Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Felix Beck Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen
Johannes Berner Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen
Gabriel Beyrer Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
David Dong Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Tobias Furholt Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Leonard Koßmann Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen
Jowei Liu Universität der Künste Berlin
Sebastian Mai Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin
Steije Maurer Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Gyöngyvér Nyilas Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Zuzanna Polończyk Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen
Moritz Sasowski Hochschule für Musik Basel
Merlin Scherb Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen
Taewon Yoon Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
Marthe Chesneau Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz
Cecile Defendini Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Gwenaëlle Le Meignen Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Mélie Leneutre Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Ersilia Mikrou Universität der Künste Berlin
Eunseon Kim Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Jakob Valentin Kuen Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Credit Salar Baygan
History
More than half a century old and still as young as on the very first day: the “grassroots group” known as the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. The year is 1974: It’s the year the German Bundestag decides to lower the age of majority from 21 to 18. ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo,” and Germany becomes soccer world champion on home soil. A year of celebration. Well below the radar, a group of young people is laying the groundwork for a very different success story. A good handful of young musicians from the Federal Youth Orchestra, whose time there had come to an end in 1974, but who had no desire to get caught up in the grind of professional orchestras: They wanted to form an orchestra in the spirit of a new beginning—one that was democratically run, open to new ideas, and where everyone was on equal footing. A new concept of an orchestra—young yet professional. Nothing like it existed, not even at German music conservatories; the orchestras there didn’t meet the standard one had come to expect from the Federal Youth Orchestra.
So did the Young German Philharmonic—or rather, the “Federal Student Orchestra,” as it was then called—suddenly appear on the scene in 1974 and receive a warm welcome from the music world? Not at all—because unlike the “Summer Fairy Tale” soccer team and the “Waterloo” single, this idea didn’t exactly sell like hotcakes at first. First, they had to call around to university professors to recruit enough students to fill the orchestra’s ranks. But the interest was there, and the project soon took on a life of its own. Only a few months passed between the initial phone outreach in the summer of 1974 and the first performances. In 1975, the orchestra inaugurated a concert hall in Witten an der Ruhr; in 1976, it won first prize at the Herbert von Karajan Competition—which could be seen as the ultimate accolade—and its first record recording followed as early as 1977.
When it comes to the values, ideals, and goals of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, self-organization and grassroots democracy have been cited from the very beginning to the present day. Musicians who were there from the start recall discussions that lasted into the early hours of the morning. No one dictated anything to the orchestra, but no one made the decisions for them either. Although not in the very earliest years, it became part of the orchestra’s identity very early on to be—and remain—open to new music. “Up until then, I had only known orchestras that played new music with varying degrees of enthusiasm, often in a confrontational manner, almost always with a sense of disgust, and that also enjoyed harassing young conductors,” recalled conductor Lothar Zagrosek of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie.
Starting in 1995, Zagrosek maintained close ties with the orchestra for nearly twenty years as principal guest conductor, mentor, and artistic advisor. He wrote on the occasion of the orchestra’s 40th anniversary in 2014 that its founding at the time had been a “late flash of lightning from the ’68 movement.” “Immediately, it became a dream destination for both orchestra musicians and conductors alike to be invited there: a self-governing orchestra, musicians who demanded to be treated as equals by their conductors and executive directors, who determined their own programs, venues, soloists - simply everything themselves.”
Jonathan Nott, who succeeded Zagrosek as principal conductor and artistic advisor in 2014, also values the musicians’ initiative and all the democratic processes that are part of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie’s identity. “This corresponds very closely to my idea of how an orchestra should actually function,” says Nott.“The collective will of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie is an immense force. It allows even me to rediscover the works anew.”
Starting in the fall of 2026, John Storgårds will take on this role - a conductor who places particular importance on communication between the conductor and the orchestra. “I don’t want to be a conductor who is somehow distant from the orchestra or standing apart from it. I am definitely part of the entire community and am in the same situation as everyone else.”Since 1985, the orchestra - composed of the best students from German-speaking music conservatories - has been based in Frankfurt; the Alte Oper Frankfurt is the concert hall where it is, so to speak, at home. It was there, on September 11, 1999, that the anniversary orchestra - formed specifically to celebrate “25 Years of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie” - also performed. The lineup: former members, including some very well-known names. For example, Thomas Hengelbrock and Jun Märkl - now renowned conductors - music managers Karsten Witt and Matthias Ilkenhans, and current Ensemble Modern soloists Michael Kasper and Rumi Ogawa-Helferich, to name just a few. They could all share exciting JDPh stories from their time as active members, such as the one from Jun Märkl, who used to drive the 7.5-metric-ton truck to transport the instruments - “that made me feel really important.”
A Young Orchestra That Sets an Example
“We occupy a tiny niche in the orchestral landscape. We are what a society should be: democratic, tolerant, extremely capable, and dedicated,” is how Matthias Ilkenhans once summed it up; at the time, he was the executive director of the JDPh. today he is the manager of the NDR Radio Philharmonic and knows that the niche is no longer tiny—a fact attributable not least to the JDPh itself. He lists the ensembles that have been founded over the years as offshoots of this orchestra and in which this spirit of constructive collaboration and identification with one’s own ensemble has been carried forward: Ensemble Modern, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Bremen Chamber Philharmonic, and Ensemble Resonanz—all independent, autonomous, and highly respected ensembles that, just like the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, stand for a contemporary perspective on both music and people.
On average, musicians stay with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie for about four years, even though they could theoretically play in the orchestra for about ten years. The JDPh “loses” most of them to professional orchestras, which is, of course, an excellent reason to say goodbye to the “orchestra of the future.” Others, however, stay as long as they can, take on roles in committees and on the orchestra’s board, and want to gain experience in the orchestra’s operational work alongside their actual music-making. For today’s orchestra members, the founding myth seems like a distant echo. The orchestra can no longer be as revolutionary as it was in 1974; after all, it has since grown into a well-established institution. Back then, people had to fight for things like New Music—today, the JDPh is known for having precisely that as a core competency. And the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie continues to implement ideas that seem visionary in the music world. One example is “Frei_Spiel,” a radically interdisciplinary concert format—a space for experimentation with complete freedom. The process of rethinking music, concerts, and the orchestra is therefore by no means complete.
