The Bochumer Symphoniker is a German orchestra based in Bochum. Its primary residence is the Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr.

History

The orchestra was founded in 1918 originally as the Städtisches Orchester Bochum , at the same time as the Bochum Theatre, with the primary purpose to accompany theatrical productions. The orchestra gave its first public concert with conductor Rudolf Schulz-Dornburg, its first ''Generalmusikdirektor'' (GMD), on 20 May 1919. Under GMD Klaus Nessträter (1938-1944), the orchestra received attention throughout Germany, especially for its operas. Between September 1944 and July 1945, the orchestra halted concerts. After the war, the orchestra resumed activity. At the opening of the theatre's new building in 1955,

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the '' ...

was guest conductor. The orchestra played for the grand opening of the World Exhibition

Expo 58 Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Be ...

in Brussels in 1958 with

Franz-Paul Decker Franz-Paul Decker (June 26, 1923 – May 19, 2014) was a German-born conductor. Life Decker was born in Cologne, Germany, where he studied at the Hochschule für Musik with Philip Jarnach and Eugen Papst. He made his conducting debut at the a ...

as music director. During the chief conductorship of Yvon Baarspul, from 1964 to 1970, the size of the orchestra was increased by 17 musicians to a total of 80. As well, the orchestra was renamed the "Bochumer Symphoniker". Eberhard Kloke served as GMD from 1988 to 1994. Kloke introduced

contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included se ...

to the orchestra's repertoire and sought out new concert venues. In 1991, the orchestra played for the first time at the ''Jahrhunderthalle'' (Bochum) (Centennial Hall) in Bochum. The current GMD of the orchestra, since 1994, is Steven Sloane. During Sloane's tenure, the orchestra has twice received the German Music Publishers' Association (''Deutscher Musikverleger-Verband'') prize for best concert programme of the year, in the 1996/1997 and 2004/2005 seasons. In 2006, the orchestra performed a new version of the opera '' Die Soldaten'' by

Bernd Alois Zimmermann Bernd Alois Zimmermann (20 March 1918 – 10 August 1970) was a German composer. He is perhaps best known for his opera '' Die Soldaten'', which is regarded as one of the most important German operas of the 20th century, after those of Berg. As ...

at the

Ruhrtriennale The Ruhrtriennale ( compound of ''Ruhr'' and ''triennale'' "lasting 3 years"), also known as Ruhr Triennale, was founded in 2002 and is a music and arts festival in the Ruhr-area of Germany which runs between mid-August and mid-October, and happen ...

. The orchestra then presented at the 2008

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Festival in New York City, at the

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. The orchestra's principal venues for rehearsals and concerts prior to 2016 were the main auditorium of the

Ruhr University Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began in ...

and the Centennial Hall, Bochum. In October 2016, the orchestra took up residence in their new concert hall, the Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr. Sloane concluded his Bochum tenure at the close of the 2020-2021 season. Tung-Chieh Chuang first guest-conducted the orchestra in April 2018. In June 2020, the orchestra announced the appointment of Chuang as its next GMD, effective with the 2021-2022 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. In November 2022, the orchestra announced the extension of Chuang's contract as GMD through July 2026. For

ASV Records ASV Records was a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo general manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca was bought by PolyGram in 1980 ...

, the orchestra has recorded the complete works of

Joseph Marx Joseph Rupert Rudolf Marx (11 May 1882 – 3 September 1964) was an Austrian composer, teacher and critic. Life and career Marx was born in Graz and pursued studies in philosophy, art history, German studies, and music at Graz University, earn ...

. The first CD, ''Natur-Trilogie'', received the British Music Society's best CD of the Month award. The second CD, the ''Orchesterlieder'', was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

General Music Directors

* Rudolf Schulz-Dornburg (1919–1926) * Leopold Reichwein (1926–1938) * Klaus Nettsträter (1938–1944) * Hermann Meißner (1945–1956) * Franz-Paul Decker (1956–1964) * Yvon Baarspul (1964–1970) * Othmar Mága (1971–1982) * Gabriel Chmura (1982–1988) * Eberhard Kloke (1988–1994) * Steven Sloane (1994–2021) *Tung-Chieh Chuang (2021–present)

References

External links

Official webpage of the Bochumer Symphoniker

Freundeskreis zur Förderung der Bochumer Symphoniker e.V. (Circle of friends for the support of the Bochumer Symphoniker)
{{authority control Bochum German symphony orchestras Musical groups from North Rhine-Westphalia Musical groups established in 1918 1918 establishments in Germany