Gerald Mertens

ORCHESTRAS, RADIO ENSEMBLES AND CHORUSES

In German Council / German Music Information Centre, ed., Musical Life in (Bonn, 2019), pp. 188–217

Published in print: December 2019 © German Music Information Centre http://www.miz.org/musical-life-in-germany.html https://themen.miz.org/musical-life-in-germany Kapitel |

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester performing at the Parallax project in Berlin’s Kraftwerk (2017)

Orchestras, radiO ensembles and Opera chOruses

7 Despite financial challenges and structural changes, Ger- many’s publicly financed orchestras have continuously expanded their programmes, most recently achieving 9,000 concerts in a single year. Here Gerald Mertens dis- cusses past developments, describes the ensembles’ present situation and outlines new activities.

188 189 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

| Gerald Mertens OVERVIEW

Germany’s publicly financed landscape currently consists of 129 pro- ORCHESTRAS, RADIO ENSEMBLES fessional ensembles. It is basically a four-tier system. The first tier is made up of the 81 theatre orchestras that play primarily in the , operettas and musicals AND OPERA CHORUSES mounted at Germany’s municipal and state theatres. Here the spectrum ranges from the great, internationally renowned opera houses in Berlin, Hamburg, Stutt- gart and to the small theatres in Lüneburg, Annaberg-Buchholz and Hil- The German theatre and orchestra landscape remains unparalleled worldwide desheim. Among them are ensembles that function as ‘concert orchestras with in its density and diversity. In December 2014 it was placed on UNESCO’s national theatrical duties’, though the latter tend to predominate. The second tier consists list of intangible cultural heritage; Germany has applied to UNESCO for its inclu- of 29 concert orchestras (including one civic wind band) that perform largely or sion on the international list. Roughly a quarter of the world’s profes sional orches- exclusively in concert halls. The uncontested leader here is the Berlin Philhar- tras are based in Germany. monic, followed by a host of other internationally acclaimed orchestras, among which are the , the Bamberg Symphony, the Berlin Konzert- A THUMBNAIL HISTORY haus Orchestra and the Leipzig Orchestra, to name only some of the largest of their rank. The third tier is made up of eight publicly funded chamber The oldest German orchestra is that of today’s Hessian State Theatre in Kassel. orchestras that generally work all year round as string ensembles without their It was founded by Landgrave William II in 1502 when he hired a certain Henschel own woodwind or brass sections. Examples include the Chamber Orches- Deythinger as a trumpeter in Kassel’s musical retinue. Deythinger and another tra, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra in Heilbronn and the Munich Chamber eight wind players joined forces with the Kassel court chapel to form one of the earliest independent instrumental ensembles under a single director, thereby lay- ing the cornerstone for the emergence of the ‘orchestra’ as a cultural institution. Onene off thheeo oldeld sts orcr heshe tras in Germmanyy::t theh Dreesden Staataa tskkapeapellelee. The initial roots of German and European orchestra culture date back even further, ItI wass founddeded inn 15454488a as anen ensennsemblm eea attt thhe Saxon couourt.t to the 14th century. Storied traditional orchestras, such as the Staatskapel- le, the Weimar Staatskapelle or the Mecklenburg Staatskapelle in Schwerin, were founded in the 16th century; still others were assembled at various German courts in the 17th and 18th centuries. These court and church ensembles were in turn followed in the 19th and 20th centuries by the emergence of a bourgeois orchestra culture. Beginning in the 1920s, and again after World War II, they were joined by radio ensembles and other municipal and state orchestras in both East and .

190 191 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

More than just concert music: Germany’s orchestras explore new forms of events and seek exchanges with theatre, literature and the visual arts.

A ‘slam symphony’ with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (2016). Opposite page: a staging of ’s Midsummer Night’s Dream by Theater NO99 and the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra (2017)

publicly financed (from tax revenues or broadcast licensing fees), work the whole year round with a permanent membership and generally avoid playing light Orchestra. Finally, the fourth tier consists of the radio orchestras belonging to the music or marches. ‘Association of Public Broadcasting Corporations in the Federal Republic of Ger- many’ (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Mention should also be made of other professional orchestras and chamber en- Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or ARD), and Radio Orchestras and Choruses Ltd sembles that work either with a regular group of freelance musicians (usually as (Rundfunkorchester und -Chöre GmbH, or ROC), in Berlin. These 11 radio orchestras a private partnership or limited-liability company) or, if they have greater public or radio symphony orchestras, four big bands and seven radio choruses remain a funding, with permanently employed members. Among them are the Deutsche mainstay of high-quality performance, ambitious programming and the advance- Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Bavarian Chamber Orchestra in Bad Brückenau ment of contemporary music in Germany. Recently, in September 2016, the number and (project) orchestras that thrive on little or no public funding, such as the Deut- of radio symphony orchestras further declined with the merger of the Southwest sche Philharmonie Merck, the Würth Philharmonic (founded in 2017) and the Jew- German Radio Orchestras in Freiburg/Baden-Baden and Stuttgart to create the ish Chamber Orchestra Munich. Further information on this subject can be found Stuttgart-based Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra. in Richard Lorber and Tobias Schick’s essay on ‘Independent Ensembles’.

Professional theatre, concert, chamber and radio orchestras in Germany run Professional orchestras can also be found in the realms of law enforcement, the a twelve-month season. They employ musicians on a full time basis and with federal police and the armed forces. However, most of them are wind orchestras or permanent contracts. Most of the orchestras work under collective bargaining big bands. A few ad hoc orchestral formations play in commercial musical theatres agreements. Since the 1930s working conditions and social benefits for orchestral for the duration of a production, mainly in Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart. Final- musicians were developed parallel to those of other employees in the public sector. ly, the number of ‘spa orchestras’ (Kurorchester), an important stepping stone for The defining criteria for these 129 orchestras are that they are all, for the most part, music students and young professionals until well into the 1970s, has shrunk to a

192 193 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

negligible quantity. Owing to a shortage of funds, many health resorts now retain small orchestras, usually from Eastern Europe, but only for a single season.

COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS, PAY BRACKETS AND ORCHESTRA SIZE

The working conditions and salaries of musicians employed in Germany’s publicly financed orchestras are governed by a collective agreement known as the ‘Tarifvertrag für Musiker in Konzert- und Theaterorchestern’ (TVK). It applies across the board for most theatre orchestras and some concert orchestras. This blanket salary agreement for orchestras is the only one of its kind in the world. The TVK dates back to 1971 and was most recently re-ratified in 2019. As a rule, radio en- sembles are subject instead to the special salary provisions of the various public- law broadcasting corporations. Theatre orchestras are assigned to pay groups A to D, depend ing on their membership and their number of positions. Those with no more than 55 positions are assigned to the lowest salary bracket, pay group D. Pay group C applies to orchestras with 56 to 65 positions, group B for 66 or more, and group B/F from 78, where F stands for ‘footnote’, since the bonus paid is indi- cated in a footnote to the table of salaries. Orchestras with 99 positions or more are placed in pay group A; those between 99 and 129 positions are again eligible for a variable ‘footnote bonus’ (pay group A/F2). For orchestras of 130 positions or more, payment of a footnote bonus is mandatory (pay group A/F1). This is the top salary bracket in the collective agreement. There are thus seven pay groups in all.

Germany’s publicly financed orchestras play many of their concerts abroad. To the Bavar ian Radio Symphony Orchestra, long concert tours are everyday affairs. In 2018 they performed inter alia in New York, Riga, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Moscow, Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei.

194 195 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

What determines an ensemble’s classification is not the number of positions ac- STRUCTURAL CHANGES: DISSOLUTIONS, MERGERS, NEW LEGAL FORMS tually filled, but the number shown in the budget and staff appointment scheme. For decades the group ing of theatre orchestras according to size rather than artistic Declining number and size of orchestras accomplish ments has been subject to criticism. The putative counterexamples are owing to dissolutions and mergers the six chamber orchestras in western Germany, which, although no larger than 14 to 24 musicians, nevertheless remunerate their musicians under pay group A. The structure of Germany’s orchestra landscape has changed dramatically since the 1990s. While the number of theatres and orchestras initially skyrocketed in Topping the salary pyramid for Germany’s orchestras is the , 1990 in the wake of German reunification, a wave of cutbacks and consolidation followed by the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Berlin Staatskapelle and the great soon followed. As a result – primarily in the newly formed eastern German states radio symphony orchestras in Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart and Hamburg. At the – several theatres and orchestras were merged with one another, scaled back or second tier, yet usually ranking above pay group A/F1, are such ensembles as the eliminated entirely. This occurred for financial reasons, particularly in view of the Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, the Munich Philharmonic, the Leipzig Ge- limited transitional financing provided by the federal government. In the case of wandhaus Orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Dresden Philharmonic, the orchestras, this fate was met not only by small ensembles in a handful of rural ar- Bamberg Symphony, the Hamburg Philharmonic and the Gürzenich Orchestra in eas or spoken theatres in the eastern section of Berlin, but also by larger orchestras Cologne, as well as further radio symphony orchestras and radio orchestras. The in erstwhile district capitals of the former German Democratic Republic (including other municipal and state theatre and concert orchestras are spread across the Schwerin, Erfurt, and Suhl) as well as individual radio orchestras of the aforementioned TVK pay groups, although occasionally some can be found that former East German broadcasting network in Berlin and Leipzig. The map of or- remunerate their musicians at levels beneath pay group D. chestra sites (see Fig. 1) shows what the orchestra landscape looked like in 1990 after German reunification, and how it has changed since then, primarily owing to The pay groups of TVK orchestras can be roughly compared as follows: members mergers and dissolutions. of a B-level orchestra receive approximately as much salary as a primary school teacher outside the civil service; those in an A-level orchestra earn roughly the Parallel to this special development in the newly formed German states, how- salary of a grammar school teacher; and those in an A/F1-level orchestra achieve ever, there were also severe structural adjustments in the states of what had been approximately the salary of a professor at a tertiary-level school of music. In recent West Germany, primarily in North Rhine-Westphalia. They began with the clos- years, however, these relations have shifted to the orchestras’ detriment. The mu- ing of the Oberhausen Music Theatre in 1992 and continued with the insolvency sicians are, as a rule, employed on unlimited but terminable contracts, not as civil of the Philharmonia Hungarica (Marl) in 2001. Another case was the liquidation servants. and insolvency of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in 2004, which now works only on a project-by-project basis. The first all-German stocktaking in 1992 identified The number of female orchestra members has risen steadily since the 1960s and 168 publicly financed concert, theatre, chamber and radio orchestras; since then, is continuing to do so. Women already occupy more than half of the orchestra 39 have been disbanded or merged. Most recently the Eisenach Orchestra and the positions in the age group from 25 to 45. However, women conductors remain an Thuringian Philharmonic in Gotha merged at the opening of the 2017-18 season. absolute rarity, especially as principal conductors. This situation will change slow- One year earlier, in summer 2016, the two orchestras of Southwest German Radio ly at best. merged with a long-term socially acceptable plan to reduce the number of musi- cians from roughly 200 to 119. This merger in particular was highly controversial from an artistic and culture-political standpoint, for the Southwest German Radio

196 197 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

Symphony Orchestra in Baden-Baden and Freiburg had consistently devoted itself tions, as witness the Thuringian Philharmonic in Gotha and Zeitz Theatre. Most of for decades to contemporary music. all, however, it led to the formation of limited-liability companies. Since 1990 there have been 44 newly founded limited-liability companies for publicly financed or- Between 1992 and 2018 the number of registered positions for musicians has chestras throughout Germany, or existing orchestras have been transformed into dropped from 12,159 to 9,746, a loss of 2,413 positions, or roughly 20 per cent. Of such companies. Once again, most are located in the new eastern states.1 This de- these cutbacks, 1,899 of the positions eliminated were from the newly formed Ger- velopment reached a climax in the mid-1990s. However, these privatisations and man states and former East Berlin, and 514 in the states of former West Germany expulsions of orchestras from the public coffers were unable to offset the general and former West Berlin (see Fig. 2). Since then a few newly created positions in rise in costs for staff and materials. isolated orchestras in the western states have even led to a slight upturn in the number of positions in former West Germany. This does not, however, imply a gen- In contrast, since 1990 there have also been 13 newly founded owner-operated eral trend toward consolidation. enterprises in which the orchestra’s operations remain legally within the direct

Left: the Berlin Philharmonic. Right: the Munich Philharmonic with Hélène Grimaud at the piano Changes in legal status reach of the public sector but enjoy greater economic independence and leeway. The upheavals of the 1990s were accompanied by a wave of privatisations, again The prime example of this legal form is the Leipzig Gewandhaus and its orches- focusing on the new eastern states. The main reason for this is that many state tra. Registered associations under private law were not always long-lived and fre- structures of former , such as political districts, vanished without quently led to the founding of limited-liability companies. One problem seems to replacement, and several newly formed counties felt overstrained to assume sole be that the legal form of the registered association does not provide appropriate financial responsibility for theatres and orchestras. In some cases this led to the tools for the running of orchestras, with their often multi-million-euro budgets creation of publicly financed joint administrative bodies, such as the Thuringian and their mixed memberships of natural persons and legal entities (usually mu- State Theatre of Eisenach-Rudolstadt-Saalfeld (since dissolved) or the Northern nicipalities). In particular, the voluntary board members often face considerable Harz City League Theatre in Halberstadt (-Anhalt), or to registered associa- legal, financial and liability questions that sometimes find them out of their

198 199 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses | Fig. 1 | Publicly funded orchestras (structural developments since 1990)

Sources: German Music Information Centre and depth. The insolvencies of the sponsor- German Orchestra Union, 2018 ing organisations in Marl (2001), Zeitz BERLIN 1 Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin (2003) and the Berlin Symphony Orches- Schleswig-Holsteinisches 2 Orchester des Metropol-Theaters, Berlin (1997) Sinfonieorchester, 3 Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin Flensburg 4 Orchester des Theaters des Westens, Berlin (2001) tra (2004) offer instances of this. The first 5 RUHR REGION Philharmonisches Orchester Konzerthausorchester Berlin 6 17 Philharmonia Hungarica, Marl (2001) Philharmonisches Stralsund Vorpommern (1994) Berliner Philharmoniker 18 Orchester Kiel 7 Berliner Symphoniker (2004)* transformation of a municipal theatre Bochumer Symphoniker Philharmonisches 19 Essener Philharmoniker Orchester der Greifswald 20 Niederrheinische Sinfoniker - Orchester des Hansestadt Lübeck CENTRAL GERMANY into a public-law institution took place Norddeutsche 8 Telemann Kammerorchester Michaelstein, Theaters Krefeld Mönchengladbach (1950) NDR Elbphil- Philharmonie Rostock Philharmonisches harmonie Orchester, Blankenburg (2000) Orchester Hamburg Neubrandenburger 9 Orchester der Landesbühnen Sachsen-Anhalt, Philharmonie in Kiel in 2007. Bremerhaven Mecklenburgische Eisleben (1992) Philharmo- Staatskapelle Schwerin 10 Orchester der Musikalischen Komödie, Leipzig nisches Staats- Symphoniker 11 MDR-Sinfonieorchester, Leipzig (1992) orchester Philharmonisches Hamburg – Hamburg 12 Leipziger Symphonieorchester Orchester Landesorchester Preußisches 13 Mecklenburg-Schweriner Sächsische Bläserphilharmonie, Bad Lausick Orchester des Landes- Kammerorchester, 14 Foundations Philharmonie (1992) Prenzlau Philharmonisches Orchester Altenburg-Gera (2000) theaters Mecklenburg, 15 Bremer Lüneburger Neustrelitz (1994) Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen, Riesa (1993/2012) Philharmoniker Symphoniker 16 Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Schönebeck Oldenburgisches Staatsorchester Konzertorchester Orchester Orchester der Salzwedel (1992) des Theaters Deutsches Deutschen Oper Berlin der , Filmorchester Since the early 2000s a different legal Niedersächsisches Stendal (1994) Staatskapelle Berlin Staatsorchester Babelsberg, 1 Potsdam 2 NDR Radiophilharmonie, Hannover Staatsorchester 3 4 5 Rundfunkorchester Berlin (1992) form has been chosen with ever-greater Hannover Braunschweig Brandenburger Sym- 7 Nordwestdeutsche 6 Brandenburgisches ORCHESTRAS Osnabrücker Orchester d. phoniker, Branden- Deutsches Staatsorchester Symphonieorchester Philharmonie, burg an der Havel frequency as a supporting institution (or Herford Nordharzer Brandenburgische Symphonie- Frankfurt, Frankfurt (Oder) Radio orchestras Städtebund- Philharmonie, Sinfonieorchester TfN · Philharmonie, Orchester Berlin Münster theaters, Anhaltische Potsdam (2000) Hildesheim Halberstadt Brandenburgisches a preliminary step in that direction) for 16 Philharmonie Concert orchestras Philharmon. (1994) Dessau Orchester des Mittel- Konzertorchester, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen - Cottbus (1991) Landesorchester NRW (1996) Bielefelder Kammerorchester Magdeburgische dt. Landestheaters Wittenberg (2002) Philharmonisches Theatre orchestras and concert the running of theatres and orchestras: Städtisches Orchester Philharmoniker Symphonisches Wernigerode Philharmonie Orchester des Landes- Orchester des Staats- Oberhausen (1992) 17 Recklinghausen Loh-Orchester 8 Staatskapelle Halle Orchester der orchestras with theatre duties Gel. theaters Detmold Gewand- Neuen Bühne theaters Cottbus Duisburger Sondershausen Nord- (Saale) (2006) hausorchester, Südbrandenburger Orchester, a foundation. An example can be found Göttinger (1991) hausen Senftenberg Philharmoniker 18 Dortmunder Philharmoniker Symphonie 9 Leipzig Orchester (1993) Senftenberg (1996) Chamber orchestras Krefeld des Stadt- Sorbisches 19 philharmonisches Orchester 20 Sonders- 10 theaters Dresdner Kammerorchester, in Meiningen, where the theatre and orchester hagen 11 Döbeln 15 Bautzen Neue Lausitzer Disbanded orchestras Eichsfelder hausen Orchester d. Philharmonie Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal Staats- Staats- Theaters 12 (1992) Philharmonie, (since 1990) Mönchengl. Rem. orchester Kulturorchester kapelle Sol. Zeitz 13 Sächs. Görlitz (1996) orches tra foundation (under private law) Düsseldf. Symphoniker Berg. Sympho- Kassel Heiligenstadt (1993) Weimar Staatskapelle Dresden Red print, year of disbandment in (2003) parentheses Gürzenich- niker (1995) Philharmonie 14 Altenbg. Südwestfalen, Thüringen Philharmonie Orchester der Staatsoperette Dresden Orchester WDR Sinfonie- Gotha-Eisenach (2017) also encompasses the former ducal mu- Köln Hilchenbach Gera Mittelsächsische Philharmonie, Freiberg (1993) Orchestral mergers orchester, Köln Concertorchester Philharmon. Ru. Jenaer Staatliches Orchester Sachsen, Chemnitz (1993) Italics, year of merger in parentheses WDR Beethoven Bad Salzungen (1992) Orchester Sinfonie- Orchester Bonn Philhar- Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie, Chemnitz seums. Other examples are the Württem- Funkhaus- Philharmonisches Erfurt monie Greiz Zwi. orchester Meininger Saalf. Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aachen orchester, Orchester Gießen Rei. Aue, Annaberg-Buchholz (1998) Köln Hofkapelle Thüringer Orchestras with two or more Pl. Philharmonisches Orchester des Theaters Plauen-Zwickau (2000) berg Philharmonic in Reutlingen and, Staatsorchester hr-Sinfonieorchester, Thüringen Symphoniker sites Rheinische Philharmonie, Hessisches Frankfurt a.M. Philharmonie Saalfeld- Vogtland Philharmonie Greiz/Reichenbach (1992) Total positions given for each site Koblenz Staatsorchester Frankfurter Opern- und Suhl Rudolstadt Wiesbaden (1997) (1992) Hofer Chursächsische Philharmonie since 2002, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Museumsorchester Bad Elster (2000)* Philharmonisches Rundfunkorchester des Philharmonisches Orchester Sym- * currently a project orchestra Orchester der HR, Frankfurt a.M. (1993) Landestheater Coburg phoniker latter as a foundation under public law. Stadt Trier Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Philhar- Bamberger Staatsorchester Mainz Darmstadt monisches Symphoniker - Bayerische POSITIONS Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Orchester Staatsphilharmonie Since 2004 Berlin’s three opera houses Rheinland-Pfalz, Ludwigshafen Kurpfälzisches Kammer- Würzburg Staatsphilharmonie 185 orchester, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Kai. Nürnberg 100 Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern Nationaltheaterorchester Mannheim 50 (Deutsche Oper, State Opera Unter den (2007) Philharmonisches Orchester Nürnberger Symphoniker 20 Saarländisches Heidelberg Staatsorchester, Orchester des 8 Linden and Komische Oper) have been Saarbrücken Pfalztheaters Kaiserslautern Badische Saar- Württembergisches Badische Philharmonie Kammerorchester Heilbronn Georgisches brücken Pforzheim Philharmonisches maintained as the ‘Opera in Berlin’ Foun- Staatskapelle, Kammerorchester Orchester Regensburg Ingolstadt 21 Staatsorchester Südwest- Stuttgart dation (Stiftung Oper in Berlin) with Philharmonie deutsches Kammer- 22 Stuttgarter Philharmoniker Baden-Baden Augsburger Symphonieorchester start-up assistance from the federal gov- STUTTGART orchester des Bayerischen in cooperation with 21 SWR Symphonieorchester, Pforzheim Philharmoniker Niederbayerische Rundfunks, München Philharmonie, Passau Stuttgart (2016) Württembergische 22 Münchener ernment. Other foundations were newly Stuttgarter Kammerorchester Philharmonie Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Reutlingen Orchester der Münchner Stadt Rundfunkorchester Münchner Philharmoniker established for the Brandenburg State Philharmonisches Orchester Bayerisches Freiburg (i.Br.) Staatsorchester, Münchner Südwestdeutsche München Symphoniker Theatre in Cottbus (2004), the Nurem- Philharmonie Konstanz Orchester des Bad Reichenhaller Staatstheaters Philharmoniker am Gärtnerplatz, Cartography: S. Dutzmann berg State Theatre (2004), the Bamberg München Leipzig, 2018 National boundary Symphony (2005), the Württemberg 025 5075 100 © German Music Council/ km State boundary German Music Information Centre Chamber Orchestra (2012) and the Augs- burg Theatre and Philharmonic (2018). 200 201 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

The advantage of the increasingly popular legal form of the foundation under Fig. 2 | Permanent positions in publicly financed orchestras pub lic law is that it generally cannot become insolvent, and must therefore be financed reliably and publicly on a long-term basis. This raises the trust of the Index (1992=100%) employees and enhances the facility’s reputation in the public eye – and in the 100%

eyes of (private) donors . However, since the foundations do not have substantial West -7.21% capital of their own (unlike the multi-million foundations of operas and orchestras 90% in Amer ica), these institutions, being wholly subsidised, remain dependent on Total financing from the public sector. As a rule, they benefit from funding agreements 80% -19.85% of up to five years’ duration, which, at present, gives them much greater planning security than is usually the case with other legal and operational forms. 70%

Occasionally private friends and sponsors of an orchestra no longer assume the East -37.74% 60% organisational form of an association, but augment or replace it with a foundation. This is the case, for example, with the Main-Franconian Theatre in Würzburg, the Northwest German Philharmonic in Herford, the South Westphalian Philharmonic 50% 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 in Hilchenbach, the Lower Saxon State Theatre in Hanover, the Heidelberg Theatre and Orchestra and the Eduard von Winterstein Theatre in Annaberg-Buchholz. Decline Number of positions registered 1992- 2018 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 (in %) FUNDING AND OPERATIONAL LEEWAY East 5,032 4,411 4,198 4,032 3,878 3,637 3,545 3,398 3,372 3,290 3,230 3,186 3,143 3,133 -37.74 West 7,127 7,075 7,018 6,991 6,961 6,808 6,780 6,654 6,665 6,632 6,621 6,639 6,673 6,613 -7.21 Germany’s professional orchestras are funded largely from public subsidies Total 12,159 11,486 11,216 11,023 10,839 10,445 10,325 10,052 10,037 9,922 9,851 9,825 9,816 9,746 -19.85 (especially from states and municipalities) or from broadcast licensing fees. The Number of orchestras federal government has recently strengthened its commitment, whether by ex- Total 168 154 151 146 145 139 136 135 133 133 132 131 131 129 -23.21 tending financial support to the Berlin Philharmonic and the ‘Opera in Berlin’ Foun- Note: The figures are based on positions formally listed in the budgets of orchestras and theatres, not on those that are actually dation (from January 2018) or by launching the nationwide programme ‘Excellence filled. They cover all publicly financed theater, concert and chamber orchestras in Germany as well as Germany’s radio symphony and radio orchestras. Regarding the division into East and West, it should be noted that Berlin orchestras are assigned according to their respective sector of the city. Source: Compiled and calculated by the German Music Information Centre from information supplied by the German Orchestra Union (DOV).

in Germany’s Orchestra Landscape’ (Exzellente Orchesterlandschaft Deutschland), from which 31 orchestras based in all corners of the country have received subsidies since summer 2017. Box office proceeds and other earned income differ marked- ly between genres (music theatre, concert etc.) and between regions. On average, The Würth PhP ilharmmoniic, fouf ndeed in 2017177 they cover approximately 18 per cent of the budget, often less, but sometimes more. atat ththe iinnititiitiiatiattiiveve off thehee WWüürththt GrGroupup Earnings cannot simply be increased at the drop of a hat: limited seating and space, 202 203 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

Playing in their own venue: smaller catchment areas, usually affordable ticket prices and the population’s his- the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker torically conditioned expectation of state cultural subsidisation leave little room for in the Tonhalle sustainable short-term boosts of income or sharp increases in admission fees.

Further, compared to other countries such as the United States, legal stric tures on competition prevent sponsoring organisations of theatres and orchestras from under taking more extensive direct marketing activities. Germany’s orches- tras have fewer administrative staff, which hampers the extra advertising and marketing efforts they so urgently need to reach new strata of the public. As a rule of thumb, a German concert orchestra without a concert hall of its own has a maxi mum of 10 per cent of its artistic employees working in management and administration. In other words, for every 100 musicians there are roughly ten ad- ministrative employees, and sometimes not even that. In contrast, North American orchestras in particular generally have more administrative personnel, both full- time and part-time, than artistic staff. Lacking suitable direct public funding, they put far greater effort into fundraising and marketing. However, as private donors enjoy generous tax privileges, the financing of culture in the United States is also to support isolated projects or events. Although the state of the federal budget has basically public, albeit indirectly. Just how sensitive non-public cultural financing considerably improved, the pronouncements from the federal government give in the United States can be was demonstrated by the impact of the global financial little reason to expect further relief in the near future. crisis in 2008-09, when the assets and earnings of North America’s orchestras and opera houses plunged, sometimes dramatically. The consequences for these insti- EVENTS AND ATTENDANCE, BOX OFFICE PROCEEDS tutions were severe, with cutbacks in staff, programming, projects and salaries, up AND OVERALL BUDGETS to and including insolvencies (although the American term ‘bankruptcy’ does not automatically imply shutting down operations, but usually a special form of debt In spite of the structural transformation described above, the current statistics relief and restructuring with continued operations). from the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (Deutscher Bühnenverein) show constant growth in the number of concerts, from around 6,900 in the 2000- Until now, voluntary civil engagement in the broad-based organisation of profes- 01 season to 9,200 in 2016-17 (see Fig. 3). However, these figures only partly include sional orchestras has been as rare as it is largely unknown. Only a few institutions events and attendance for radio orchestras and radio symphony orchestras. The take advantage of the existing option of a ‘voluntary social year’ in culture. number of concertgoers increased proportionately, exceeding the four-million mark for the first time in the 2006-07 season. This is a positive development, and Donors’ associations and friends' schemes exist and are also important, for they it remains to be seen how the growing number of music festivals and open-air expand the basis for regional appreciation and awareness of culture. But like events, especially in summer, will also affect the general number of concertgoers sponsor ship, they do not play a truly significant role in the financing of orchestras. and capacity utilisation at future events. Largely positive balance sheets, high ca- At present, Germany’s tax laws do not offer sufficient incentives to expand income pacity utilisation and glowing annual reports from many music theatres, concert from sponsorships, donations and patronage, which in any case have only served halls and orchestras in recent years now point to a general positive trend.

204 205 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

Fig. 3 | Concerts and attendance of publicly financed orchestras The German Orchestra Union (Deutsche Orchestervereinigung, or DOV) listed about 13,800 events in the 2015-16 season for all orchestras and radio ensembles, Number of concerts Attendance including radio choruses (but not big bands). Of these, 42 per cent were symphony 10 Total concerts 6 concerts, including tours abroad. The remaining figures were spread among cham- 9 5 ber concerts (about 10 per cent), educational events, including concerts for children 8 Total concertgoers 7 and young adults, concerts of school pupils and workshops held in schools (37 per Concert orchestras 4 6 excluding radio orchestras cent), and some 11 per cent miscellaneous events. These statistics (see Fig. 4) under- 5 3 and attendance at non-local concerts line the particular importance now attained by the orchestras’ many outreach 4 (see note) Theatre orchestras 2 3 activities, i.e. workshops, concerts for children and young adults, and concerts for 2 1 schoolchildren. Unfortunately it was not possible to compile precise figures for the Radio orchestras 1 numbers of concertgoers involved since this information is not always recorded for 0 0 00-01 04-05 08-09 12-13 16-17 00-01 04-05 08-09 12-13 16-17 school or open-air events or for guest performances. in thousands in millions

Concerts Concertgoers The crowds who continue to throng to the in Hamburg, the Concert orchestras1 excluding Theatre Radio radio orchestras Ruhr Music Forum in , the reopened in Dresden and other Total Total4 orchestras2 orchestras3 and non-local Season Total Local Non-local concerts new or renovated venues are symptomatic of a cultural volte-face. The problems lie in precisely capturing, breaking down and incorporating attendance figures 2000-01 6,899 4,686 2,961 1,725 2,213 – 3,666,142 3,666,142 2002-03 7,179 4,833 3,255 1,578 2,346 – 3,747,268 3,747,268 from concert halls (e.g. those in , Essen and Hamburg) and from the ma- 2004-05 8,127 5,717 4,047 1,670 2,410 – 3,795,471 3,795,471 jor German music festivals (Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, 2006-07 8,722 5,871 3,995 1,876 2,543 308 4,224,235 3,941,835 2008-09 9,157 6,079 4,288 1,791 2,625 453 5,440,889 4,053,629 2010-11 9,013 5,774 4,133 1,641 2,817 422 5,559,783 4,007,813 2012-13 9,032 5,834 4,197 1,637 2,704 494 5,190,847 3,875,833 2014-15 9,306 6,029 4,179 1,850 2,834 443 5,359,869 4,000,668 2016-17 9,165 5,727 3,958 1,769 2,945 493 5,303,333 4,072,549

Note: The theatre statistics are based on a written survey of publicly financed theatres and orchestras regarding their business opera- tions (venues, range of events, attendance figures, staff, financing). The figures in the time line are not always comparable, for some venues could not be used owing to construction work and/or the collected data is incomplete owing to lack of responses, especially in the earlier years. Moreover, the radio ensembles were included only as of the 2005-06 season, and then only sporadically at first. Further, the attendance figures also include non-local events of concert orchestras as of the 2008-09 season, which partly explains the increase in attendance. 1 As defined by the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (concert orchestras and theatre orchestras with a separate budget). 2 As defined by the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (orchestras integrated in theatres and lacking a separate budget).Only local concerts in the orchestra’s own premises are listed. 3 Including some non-local concerts. The overall increase in events and attendance from the 2005-06 season on is partly explained by the fact that radio orchestras were included for the first time. See above note. 4 Concert orchestras are included with attendance at non-local events as of the 2008-09 season. Attendance at non-local events is also included in some cases for the radio orchestras. Source: Compiled and calculated by the German Music Information Centre from the various issues of Theaterstatistik, published annually by the German Theatre and Orchestra Association (Deutscher Bühnenverein). ‘‘K‘Klaasssssiik aaiairlebebenen’en’:a: an oppepene -aiaiir cononcncerterrtrt wititthht thhe GGewandandhauhauusOs Orchhestesesttrar ini LeLeipzpzig’s Rosentall PaP rk (20(2018)1818)

206 207 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

Thehe ‘co‘coc ncencert ofof a thouhoh usans d’:’ inn 202 17 sommee1 1,000000m musiususiiccf fansanss The overall figures show that publicly financed theatres and orchestras are more assasa sembemembbledleedd inn ththe Mallal of BeB rlirl nnf foro thet ‘SSympm honnicc MoMMob’,, than just receivers of subsidies. Indeed, they are influential players in local eco- aaj joinoioinnttc concnccertertr wwiithth thee DeD utsu chessS Sympy hononie-e-OrcOr heshehester Beerrlilinn. nomies. They constitute powerful forces of supply and demand at the regional level, creating bonds with highly skilled employees through their methods of produc tion. This in turn leads to backflow in tax revenue and allows local business branch es to profit directly or indirectly from the theatres’ and orchestras’ activities.

Fig. 4 | Events of publicly financed orchestras

7,000

Symphony and choral concerts 6,000

Music education events 5,000

4,000 Rheingau), which feature German and foreign orchestras and many other ensem- 3,000 bles but fail to keep reliable attendance records. In the final analysis, long-term Other concerts compilation and research in attendance must be established and expanded at the 2,000 venues concerned. 1,000 Chamber recitals

According to figures from the German Theatre and Orchestra Association, atten- 0 2005-06 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14 2015-16 dance and capacity utilisation at music theatre events and concerts by theatre

orchestras (excluding concert orchestras) have not changed significantly between Season the 2000-01 and 2016-17 seasons. They have remained relatively high, with average Type of event 2005-06 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14 2015-16

capacity utilisation between 70 and 80 per cent.2 More and more music theatres Symphony and choral concerts 5,918 6,075 5,902 6,158 5,827 5,791 and orchestras are attempting to attract and retain new audiences by improving events 3,747 3,723 4,069 3,752 4,182 5,061 their subscription methods and programme offerings. Their success is increasingly Concerts for children and young people 928 972 1,102 1,139 1,382 1,340 Concerts for schoolchildren 570 665 867 927 736 888 evident: the Düsseldorf Tonhalle, for example, more than doubled its number of Workshops in schools 2,249 2,086 2,100 1,686 2,064 2,833 subscribers to over 4,900 within the space of four years, beginning in 2014. Similar- Chamber recitals 1,136 1,195 1,227 1,212 1,286 1,361 ly, many opera houses and concert halls have recently reported record attendance, Other concerts 1,997 1,691 1,649 1,450 1,259 1,588 raising the question of whether, and to what extent, the ‘audience extinction’ Total 12,798 12,684 12,847 12,572 12,554 13,801 predicted for decades is likely to happen (see also Karl-Heinz Reuband’s essay on Note: The figures include all concerts given by publicly financed concert, theatre and chamber orchestras as well as radio ensembles (radio symphony orchestras, radio orchestras, radio choruses and radio big bands) in Germany, as well as concerts given by these ‘Preferences and Publics’). ensembles abroad (2005-06: 526; 2007-08: 614; 2009-10: 522; 2011-12: 646; 2013-14: 470 ; 2015-16: 463). Source: Compiled by the German Music Information Centre from information supplied by the German Orchestra Union (DOV).

208 209 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

THE STATE OF GERMANY’S OPERA AND RADIO CHORUSES political promise to make the licensing system ‘cost-neutral’ on 1 January 2012. AND RADIO ENSEMBLES The proper amount of the licensing fee is still being debated between the federal states, the KEF and the broadcasting corporations, and will doubtless continue in The number of opera chorus positions in Germany’s music theatres has likewise the years to come. fallen, declining by more than 11 per cent since 1993 to somewhat less than 2,900. The reason for this downturn, as with orchestra personnel, lies mainly in structural However, the broadcasting corporations are not allowed to directly access the addi- developments in the new eastern states, several of whose music theatre ensem- tional revenue actually resulting from this change. In fact, judging from their own bles were particularly affected. Today, for example, the only fully-fledged music accounts, their subsidisation has hardly changed at all. As the costs of their staff theatre in the state of Brandenburg is the State Theatre in Cottbus. The ensembles and pension schemes have risen owing to labour agreements and inflation, the in Potsdam, Frankfurt an der Oder and Brandenburg an der Havel were disbanded pres sure on the general financial situation of the broadcasting corporations con- altogether. Yet there is a serious lack of young talent in this area. Each year ap- tinues to mount. Their predicament may become extremely difficult, or even life- proximately 160 new singers (including soloists) are needed in Germany’s music threatening, for some radio ensembles if states were to lower the income from radio the atres. However, of the roughly 400 trained singers who graduate from Ger- advertising without compensating for these losses from the structural fee surplus. many’s tertiary-level schools of music and conservatories every year, only about An initial step in this direction was taken in autumn 2015 by the state of North 10 per cent build lasting careers as professional singers, whether as soloists, con- Rhine-Westphalia when it changed the WDR law accordingly. In contrast, TV adver- cert artists or members of opera or radio choruses. tising revenue could be offset only by having all the states alter the Interstate Broad- casting Agreement (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag). In all of this, it should not be forgotten In radio choruses, too, the number of positions has dropped continuously since that, taken together, the musical ensembles of the ARD broadcasting network (or- 1990. Due to inadequate new recruitment, this has sometimes led to structural chestras, choruses, big bands) cost roughly €170 million each year, which merely ageing among the chorus membership. By the same token there has been growth amounts to some 41 cents of the monthly licensing fee for private households. in the ranks of professional singers hired by radio broadcasters on a project-by- project basis as choral reinforcements for larger assignments. Radio choruses have, in the meantime, also become indispensable as concert choirs for media recordings and choral-orchestral performances by major municipal orchestras. At present Germany has seven radio choruses, namely those in Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich, Leipzig and two in Berlin.

Since 1 January 2012, Germany’s radio and TV licensing fees have no longer applied to pieces of equipment but to households in general, and in early 2014 the federal states ratified a 48-cent reduction of the monthly fee to €17.98. As a result, the cost structures of public broadcasting have been increasingly called into question. Before then, the Commission on the Financial Needs of Public Broadcasting Com- panies (Kommission zur Ermittlung des Finanzbedarfs der öffentlich-rechtlichen

Rundfunkanstalten, or KEF) had even recommended that the states introduce a The WDR Symphony Orchestra larger reduction of 73 cents. The reason for their recommendation was the states’ performing in the Cologne Philharmonie

210 211 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

For many orchestras outreach projects have become common practice, whether introductory talks, concerts for children and adolescents or school classes attending a rehearsal.

Attending a rehearsal and sampling instru- ments with the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra. Opposite page: a Kulturradio children’s concert with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin There is also a welcome upward trend in orchestra activities for children, young adults and families. In 2000, the organisation Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland NEW ORCHESTRAL ACTIVITIES – (JMD), with its ‘Concerts for Children Initiative’ (Initiative Konzerte für Kinder), INFLUENCING THE WORLD OF MUSIC developed extensive activities to convey special new insights in the profession- al design of concerts for these target groups. Since then, more and more orches- It is a well-known fact that concert and theatre orchestras have a wide variety tras have taken up the cause of working with children, young people and school of ways to influence the world of music besides giving concerts and performing groups, as is shown by the figures now regularly collected (see Fig. 4). The edu- operas. In fact, all orchestras have a broad array of chamber-music formations cation projects of the Berlin Philharmonic have attracted an unwaveringly high which either exist permanently or convene on an ad hoc basis to enrich the con- level of attention. Since autumn 2002 they have been carried out with financial cert scene, voluntarily and often quite apart from their official duties. The realms support from Deutsche Bank, and both in substantive and media terms they ini- of music schools and amateur, student, and national or state youth orchestras, not tially functioned somewhat as a flagship. Since 2004, numerous other new activ- to mention church congregations, profit in many ways from the involvement of ities by orchestras in schools have been developed and documented, e.g. as part orchestra members. Professional musicians are frequently active on a volunteer of the ‘Network of Orchestras and Schools’ (Netzwerk Orchester & Schulen) and basis, not just as instrument teachers, but as soloists or expert mentors to these in the ‘Children to Olympus!’ Competition (Kinder zum Olymp!), sponsored by the non-professional orchestras. To choose one example, the Berlin Philharmonic has Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States (Kulturstiftung der Länder). Here entered a partnership with the National Youth Orchestra that involves musical school musicians, orchestra musicians and their associations work closely together work at many levels. Some 50 further partnerships exist between professional at all levels, offering opportunities for regular exchanges of experiences and for and youth orchestras throughout Germany. participation in continuing education programmes.

212 213 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

The Young Ears Network (‘Netzwerk Junge Ohren’), with headquarters in Berlin, PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE was newly established in spring 2007. Here various music associations in Ger- many, Austria and Switzerland work jointly across national borders to co-ordinate The challenges imposed on the institution of the orchestra over the last few and expand the outreach activities of orchestras, music theatres and concert halls, years, as documented in the above figures, lie not so much in a genuine ‘identity as well as music publishers and recording companies, mainly in the German- crisis’ but rather in the altered nature of Germany’s radio and TV licensing fees speaking countries. Every year the network awards its internationally acclaimed and, in some states, in the still overly narrow funding of orchestras and theatres in Young Ears Prize (‘Junge Ohren Preis’) for outstanding musical outreach projects in region al and local budgets. Most states and municipalities have by now come to rea- the German-speaking countries. lise that freezing or slashing funds for culture can have grave consequences while offering no budgetary relief. After all, accounting as it does for approximately 1 per Another important contribution from orchestras to the social discourse was their cent on average of the overall budget, cultural funding is marginal at best. One extraordinary commitment when faced with the waves of refugees that arrived in structurally ineradicable problem is that human resources make up roughly 85 per Germany from autumn 2014 on. More people than ever before were now seeking cent of budgets in theatres and orchestras, whereas they account for only some 30 refuge from war and persecution. In an impressive number of projects and events, to 45 per cent of the general public budget. If an across-the-board cut is instituted orchestras throughout Germany launched music-education projects for refugees here, the strain upon orchestras and theatres is up to three times greater than on in every age group, mounted welcome and benefit concerts and helped in other the budget in general. This phenomenon affects future developments just as much ways to tackle questions of migration and integration. as the question of how to offset increasing costs – an issue frequently considered a necessary evil in the public sector, yet which theatres and orchestras are often expected to remedy on their own. Over the medium to long term, this economic ‘cost trap’ can lead to the imperilment of further cultural institutions, includ ing orchestras. Even ‘freezing’ public subsidies at current levels inevitably entails staff

Promoting top talent: the National Youth Orchestra of Germany gives young people between the ages of 14 and 19 an opportunity to work with famous conductors and soloists.

Summit Meeting’, a joint project of the National Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Ballet (2017). Opposite page: the National Youth Orchestra with its honorary conductor, Sir Simon Rattle (2018) 214 215 Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses |

reductions. These institutions have few opportunities to counteract this on their But equally imperative, if the German orchestra landscape is to continue to thrive own: cushioning just 1 per cent of linear annual growth in labour costs calls for and develop, are the political will toward this end, the skill of active participants a sustained annual growth of around 5 per cent in box-office returns. Owing to in cultural policy and administration, and the improved qualification of manage- the growth in tax revenues at the ment personnel in cultural operations. All are called upon to prove their social rel- All theatre, concert and radio orchestras can federal, state and local levels since evance more forcefully than hitherto, over and over again. be researched at the German Music Infor- 2015, the financial circumstances of mation Centre with details on positions, col- many theatres and orchestras have lective wage agreements and much more. again improved. But as the ‘Solidar- ity Pact II’ for the eastern German Gerald Mertens is the managing director of the German Orchestra Union states comes to an end in 2019, and as the so-called ‘debt brake’ goes into effect in and editor-in-chief of the periodical das Orchester. He teaches orchestra all federal states by 2020 at the latest, it is obvious that every area of the public management at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). financing of culture will have to be placed on a more solid footing than has hither- to been the case. In the near future the crux will fall on the structural improvement of municipal financial resources.

Germany’s publicly financed music theatres and orchestras will continue to face a vicious battle for public resource allocations in the future. In recent decades, the arguments that cultural and financial officials have brought forth for the alleged need for further cutbacks have proved untenable. The staff reductions of recent decades were subject to absolute limits imposed by artists, scores, casting and mission. Since then a contrary trend and a change in thinking have taken hold.

Germany’s orchestras have a high and at times unused evolutionary potential. What they need is more latitude in their business affairs, more professionalism in their management, and greater reliability of planning through medium-term funding agreements that reward rather than punish sensible resource allocation and higher box office proceeds. True, neoliberals of the 1990s may have propound ed the theory that theatres and orchestras must make their own way in the ‘market- place’ like everything else. Many espoused economic Darwinism: only what sells 1 A detailed listing of changes in business form since German reuni- will survive. But this flies in the face of the historical fact that in every era through- fication in 1990 is provided by the German Music Information Centre out Western Civilisation the highest artistic standards have, to the present day, using information supplied by the German Orchestra Union. been achieved through ‘outside funding’, whether from the church, the aristocracy See http://www.miz.org/intern/uploads/statistik95.pdf or the public purse. (accessed on 28 May 2019). 2 German Theatre and Orchestra Association, ed., Theaterstatistik 2016/17 (Cologne, 2018).

216 217 MusicAl life in Germany

This publication has been made possible by the kind support of the Minister of State for Culture and the Media. First edition, Bonn, March 2019 (German) and December 2019 (English)

Publisher The German Music Information Centre is supported by: German Music Council German Music Information Centre

Editorial office Stephan Schulmeistrat, Dr Christiane Schwerdtfeger

Picture editor Dr Karin Stoverock

Editorial assistants Tobias Meyer, Christiane Rippel, Timo Varelmann

Authors Prof. Dr Hans Bäßler | Prof. Dr Michael Dartsch | Dr Heike Fricke | Stefan Fricke | Barbara Haack | Prof. Christian Höppner | Prof. Dr Arnold Jacobshagen | Hans-Jürgen Linke | Dr Richard Lorber | Prof. Dr Julio Mendívil | Gerald Mertens | Dr Reiner Nägele | Prof. Dr Ortwin Nimczik | Dr Martina Rebmann | Dr Astrid Reimers | Prof. Dr Karl-Heinz Reuband | Dr Tobias Eduard Schick | Prof. Dr Dörte Schmidt | Prof. Dr Holger Schramm | Prof. Dr Wolfgang Seufert | Benedikt Stampa | Prof. Dr Johannes Voit | Prof. Dr Meinrad Walter | Prof. Dr Peter Wicke | Prof. Dr Franz Willnauer

Advisers Dr Jürgen Brandhorst (GEMA Foundation) | Prof. Dr Andreas Eckhardt | Dr Tilo Gerlach (Collecting Society for Performance Rights, GVL) | Prof. Reinhart von Gutzeit | Bernd Hawlat (German Broadcasting Archive, DRA) | Elisabeth Herzog-Schaffner (German Musicians’ Association, DTKV) | Prof. Christian Höppner (Ger- man Music Council) | Prof. Dr Joachim-Felix Leonhard, State Secretary ret. | Elisabeth Motschmann, MP | Stefan Piendl (German Music Council) | Prof. Dr Wolfgang Rathert (LMU Munich) | Dr Martina Rebmann (Berlin State Library – Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) | Prof. Dr Dörte Schmidt (Berlin University The translated version of this publication of the Arts) | Dr Heinz Stroh (German Music Publishers Association, DMV) | Antje Valentin (State Music was made possible by the kind support Academy of North Rhine-Westphalia) | Prof. Wolfgang Wagenhäuser (Trossingen University of Music) | of Hal Leonard Europe GmbH. Prof. Dr Robert von Zahn (State Music Council of North Rhine-Westphalia)

Translation: Dr Bradford J. Robinson Proofreading: Susanna Eastburn, Keith Miller

A publication of the German Music Information Centre

2 3 Picture credits

Note We wish to express our gratitude to all those persons and institutions that generously placed pictorial The present volume is an English translation of the German-language publication Musikleben in Deutsch- material at our disposal. Without their support this multifaceted view of ‘Musical Life in Germany’ land, which appeared in March 2019. The editorial deadline for the German edition was 30 September 2018; would not have been possible. information published after that date has been taken into account wherever possible and meaningful. All

the information has been obtained and checked with maximum care. Nonetheless, neither the German Unless otherwise indicated, picture credits on pages with more than one photograph occur line by line from left to right. Music Council nor the German Music Information Centre can assume liability for its accuracy. Readers are

invited to send all questions and comments regarding the contents to Title page/spine/bookmark: a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Leipzig performing at the German Orchestra Competition in Ulm, 2016. © Jan Karow

German Music Council Back cover: the roof of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. © www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Maxim Schulz German Music Information Centre Weberstr. 59 Page Copyright Page Copyright 53113 Bonn 5 © Veronika Kurnosova 16/17 © Claus Langer/WDR Germany 8/9 © Annette Börger 18/19 © Silvia Hauptmann Phone: +49 (0)228 2091-180, Fax: +49 (0) 228 2091-280 10/11 © MDR/Marco Prosch 20/21 Melt Festival © Stephan Flad [email protected] 12/13 © Heiko Rhode 22 © Elke A. Jung-Wolff www.miz.org 14/15 © Hartmut Hientzsch

imprint © 2019 German Music Council / German Music Information Centre Ch. 1 | Introduction: Musical Life in Germany

Managing Director of the German Music Council: Stefan Piendl Page Copyright Page Copyright Director of the German Music Information Centre: Stephan Schulmeistrat 30/31 © Tobias Döhner/www.folklang.de 36 © Geoffry Schied | © Silverangel Photography | 32 © Lea Letzel © Martin Sigmund | © ICS Festival GmbH All rights reserved. This work, including every section contained within it, is protected by copyright. Any 34 © Jan Krauthäuser 39 © Claudia Höhne | © Benjamin Krieg 40 © Eliane Hobbing use beyond the narrow limits of copyright regulations without the previous consent of the publisher 35 © Vera Lüdeck (left) | © Heiko Rhode (top right) | © Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend 44/45 © JeKits-Stiftung is prohibited and punishable by law. This applies in particular to mechanical reproduction, translation, in Baden-Württemberg/Foto: Steffen Dietze 47 © Hans Jörg Michel micro filming, and electronic storage and processing. (bottom right)

Production: ConBrio Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Regensburg Printing and binding: druckhaus köthen GmbH & Co. KG, Köthen Ch. 2 | Music in Germany’s State Education System Maps: Silke Dutzmann, Leipzig Page Copyright Page Copyright Artwork and design: SINNSALON Reese, Design für Kommunikation, Hamburg 50/51 © Oliver Borchert 61 © Richard Filz Layout and typesetting: Text- & Graphikbüro für Kultur Birgit A. Rother, Werther (Westf.) 53 © BMU-Archiv 67 © Oliver Borchert 56 © Aaron Grahovac-Dres 70/71 © Gerold Herzog 58 © Oliver Borchert 74/75 © Anja Albrecht ISBN 978-3-9820705-1-3 4 Ch. 3 | Music Education Outside the State School System

Page Copyright Page Copyright

80/81 © Volker Beushausen für LMA NRW 93 © JeKits-Stiftung 82 © JMD 95 © Bo Lahola 85 © Jessica Schäfer 100/101 © Erich Malter 86 © VdM/Heiderich 104 © Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend 90 © VdM/Foto: Kai Bienert | © VdM in Baden-Württemberg/Foto: Steffen Dietze 91 © VdM

616 Picture credits |

Ch. 4 | Music Communication Ch. 9 | Music Theatre

Page Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright

108/109 © Emile Holba 119 © Stefan Gloede | NDR/Foto: Micha Neugebauer | 244/245 © Bayerische Staatsoper/Wilfried Hösl 255 © Gert Weigelt 111 © MDR/Stephan Flad © Bayerische Staatsoper/Wilfried Hösl | 247 © Bayerische Staatsoper/Wilfried Hösl 256/257 © Oper Frankfurt/Barbara Aumüller © Ursula Kaufmann/NTM 112 © Michael Habes | © Jörg Baumann 250 © Bernadette Grimmenstein (top left) | © Hans Jörg 258 © Paul Leclair 113 © Michael Habes 120 © Stefan Gloede Michel (bottom left) | © Stephan Floss (top right) | 260/261 © Monika Rittershaus © Pedro Malinowski/MiR (bottom right) 114 © Siegfried Westphal 124/125 © Netzwerk Junge Ohren/Oliver Röckle 262/263 © Disney/Stage Entertainment 118 © Niklas Marc Heinecke | © Holger Talinski 126 © Koppelstätter Media 251 © Marcus Ebener 266 © Iko Freese/drama-berlin.de 252 © Landestheater Detmold/Maila von Haussen 269 © Hans Jörg Michel/NTM

Ch. 5 | Education for Music Professions Ch. 10 | Concert Halls Page Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright 130/131 © Thorsten Krienke 145 © Frank Beyer (top, middle, bottom left) | 274/275 © Guido Erbring 283 © Markenfotografie | 133 © Sonja Werner Fotografie | © Christian Kern © Thorsten Krienke (bottom right) 276 © Volker Kreidler © David Vasicek/pix123 fotografie frankfurt 134 © Heike Kandalowski 151 © Lutz Sternstein 279 © www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Maxim Schulz | 285 © Heribert Schindler 156 © Kai Bienert | Pedro Malinowski 139 © Photo Proßwitz (top left) | © Torsten Redler © www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Michael Zapf | 286 © Köln Musik/Matthias Baus (bottom left) | © Thorsten Dir (right) 157 © Aldo Luud www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Michael Zapf/ 288 © Jens Gerber, 2016 | 143 © Robert Schumann Hochschule/S. Diesner Architekten Herzog & de Meuron | © /David von Becker www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/Geheimtipp Hamburg 289 © Christian Gahl | © Daniel Sumesgutner 280 © Mark Wohlrab 293 © Stefan Gloede| © Christina Voigt 281 © VZN/B. Schaeffer Ch. 6 | Amateur Music-Making 296/297 © Naaro 282 © Sebastian Runge | © Frank Vinken | © Gert Mothes Page Copyright Page Copyright

160/161 © Notenspur Leipzig e.V./Foto: Daniel Reiche 175 © Bertram Maria Keller (top) | © Rebecca Kraemer 162 © Notenspur Leipzig e.V./Foto: Daniel Reiche (middle) | © Heiko Rhode (bottom) Ch. 11 | Festspiele and Festivals 176 © Volker Beurshausen für LMA NRW 166 © EPiD Page Copyright Page Copyright 167 © EPiD/Foto: Marianne Gorka | 178 © Bundesakademie Trossingen/Nico Pudimat © EPiD/Foto: Hartmut Merten 179 © Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend 300/301 © Axel Nickolaus 315 © Janet Sinica 169 © DCV/Alex Zuckrow | © DCV/Rainer Engel in Baden-Württemberg/Foto: Steffen Dietze 303 © Bayreuther Festspiele GmbH/Foto: Jörg Schulze 316 © Kurt Weill Fest Dessau GmbH/ Fotos: Sebastian Gündel 172 © Jan Krauthäuser 180/181 © Jan Karow 304 © Bayreuther Festpiele/Enrico Nawrath 185 © Jan Krauthäuser 306/307 © KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen, 319 © Thüringer Bachwochen Fotos: Helge Krückeberg, 2018 320 © Ansgar Klostermann Ch. 7 | Orchestras, Radio Ensembles and Opera Choruses 308 © Thomas Ziegler 321 © Marco Borggreve 312 © WPR Schnabel (top left) | 322 © Musikfest Erzgebirge Page Copyright Page Copyright © Lutz Voigtländer (bottom left and right) 325 © Claus Langer/WDR 313 © Lutz Edelhoff 188/189 © Peter Adamik 205 © Susanne Diesner | © Jan Roloff 191 © Matthias Creutziger 207 © Gert Mothes 192 © Markus Werner 208 © Adrian Schulz Ch. 12 | Contemporary Music 193 © Marian Lenhard 211 © WDR | © WDR/Thomas Kost 194/195 © Peter Meisel (BRSO) 212 © Marco Borggreve Page Copyright Page Copyright 198 © Stefan Höderath 213 © rbb/Thomas Ernst 328/329 © IMD/Daniel Pufe 338/339 © Klaus Rudolph 199 © Hans Engels 214 © Annette Börger 330 © Peter R. Fiebig | © grafox gestaltung und fotografie 341 © Deutscher Musikrat/Gerardo Scheige 202 © Ufuk Arslan 215 © Selina Pfruener | © Silvano Ballone 332/333 © SWR/Oliver Reuther 344 © IMD/Daniel Pufe 335 © Ursula Kaufmann/Ruhrtriennale 2018 345 © IMD/Jens Steingässer | © IMD/Daniel Pufe 336 © Martin Sigmund 348 © Antoine Porcher Ch. 8 | Independent Ensembles 337 © Koen Broos 349 © Markus Scholz (left and top right) | © Kathrin Singer (bottom right) Page Copyright Page Copyright 218/219 © Dominik Mentzos Photography 232 Ensemble Ordo Virtutum/SWR (top) | Hauptstaats- Ch. 13 | Popular Music 220 © Gerhard Kühne archiv Stuttgart/picture: Stefan Morent (bottom left) | Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart/picture: Stefan Morent Page Copyright Page Copyright 222 © Holger Talinski | © Geoffroy Schied (bottom right) 223 © Sonja Werner (top) | © Geoffroy Schied (middle and 350/351 © Timmy Hargesheimer 365 © Christian Faustus bottom right) | © Holger Talinski (bottom left) 233 Stadtarchiv Konstanz/picture: Stefan Morent 353 © Reinhard Baer 366 © NDR/Rolf Klatt 226 © Holger Schneider 234 © Fabian Schellhorn 356 © Carsten Klick 369 © MDR/ORF/Peter Krivograd | 227 © Capella de la Torre/Andreas Greiner-Napp 236 © Kai Bienert | © Barbara Aumüller 358 © Sandra Ludewig © MDR/ARD/Jürgens TV/Dominik Beckmann 229 © Jörg Hejkal 237 © Walter Vorjohann 360 Melt Festival © Stephan Flad 372 © Jan Krauthäuser 238 © Beate Rieker/ensemble recherche 361 © ICS Festival Service GmbH/Rolf Klatt

617 618 Picture credits |

Ch. 14 | Jazz Ch. 19 | Music Museums and Musical Instrument Collections

Page Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright

376/377 © Jens Schlenker 391 © Nikolai Wolff/Messe Bremen (top) | 486/487 © Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt, Foto: Ulrich Schrader 498 © Germanisches Nationalmuseum/ © Jan Rathke/Messe Bremen (middle and bottom right) | 379 © Wilfried Klei | © Jürgen Volkmann 488 © Kulturamt der Stadt Zwickau Foto: Dirk Meßberger © Jens Schlenker/Messe Bremen (bottom left) 380/381 © Elisa Essex 491 © Nationalarchiv der Richard-Wagner-Stiftung, Bayreuth 501 © Atelier Brückner/Michael Jungblut 392 © WDR/Kaiser | © WDR/Voigtländer 386 © Deutscher Musikrat/Thomas Kölsch | © Investitions- und Marketinggesellschaft Sachsen-An- 502 Foto: Frank Schürmann © Rock 'n' Popmuseum 395 © Jan Rathke/Messe Bremen 388/389 © Peter Tümmers halt mbH | © SCHAU! Multimedia | 505 © Uwe Köhn © Beethoven-Haus Bonn 506 © Bach-Museum Leipzig/Jens Volz 494 © SIMPK/Anne-Katrin Breitenborn 507 © André Nestler 495 © Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig/ 508 © Aloys Kiefer | © Ulrich Perrey Ch. 15 | World Music Foto: Marion Wenzel Page Copyright Page Copyright

400/401 © Oliver Jentsch 408 © D. Joosten | © Frank Diehn 402 © Andy Spyra 409 © S. Hauptmann (top and bottom right) | Ch. 20 | Preferences and Publics © Matthias Kimpel (middle and bottom left) 405 © Silverangel Photography Page Copyright Page Copyright 410 © Daniela Incoronato 510/511 © Konzerthaus Berlin/David von Becker 521 © NDR/Foto: Micha Neugebauer 513 © Stefan Gloede 524 © Jonathan Braasch Ch. 16 | Music in Church 514 © Semperoper Dresden/Matthias Creutziger (top left) | 525 © Lutz Edelhoff Page Copyright Page Copyright © Martin Sigmund (bottom left)| © Niklas Marc 526 © NDR/Alex Spiering Heinecke (top right) | © Leo Seidel (bottom right) 529 KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen, 414/415 © Beatrice Tomasetti 423 © Michael Vogl 515 © Bayerische Staatsoper/Felix Loechner Foto: Helge Krückeberg, 2018 416 © MBM/Mathias Marx 424 © Eugène Bornhofen 518 © Landestheater Detmold/Kerstin Schomburg | 530 © Saad Hamza 419 © Antoine Taveneaux/CC BY-SA 3.0 (top left) | 427 gemeinfrei | © Gottfried-Silbermann-Gesellschaft | Landestheater Detmold/A. T. Schäfer © Deutsches orthodoxes Dreifaltigkeitskloster © Michael Zapf | © Martin Doering (bottom left) | © Beatrice Tomasetti (top right) | 431 © Cornelius Bierer © Tobias Barniske (bottom right) 434 © Gert Mothes 420/421 © Hartmut Hientzsch 440/441 © Stefan Korte Ch. 21 | Music in Broadcasting 422 © Matthias Knoch Page Copyright Page Copyright

536/537 © Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele/Elmar Witt 546 © SAT.1/ProSieben/André Kowalksi Ch. 17 | Musicology 539 © WDR/Thomas Kost | © WDR/Ines Kaiser 549 © WDR/Herby Sachs 540/541 © Claus Langer/WDR 552 © ARD Degeto/X-Filme/Beta Film/ Page Copyright Page Copyright 542 © MDR/Marco Prosch Sky Deutschland/Frédéric Batier 559 © Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele/Elmar Witt 444/445 © HfM Weimar/Foto: Guido Werner 453 © Beethoven-Haus Bonn 545 © NDR/Micha Neugebauer 446 © Roman Wack 454 © Beethoven-Haus Bonn 448 © Staatstheater Nürnberg/Ludwig Olah 457 © Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig, 449 © fimt/Sebastian Krauß (left) | Johannes Köppl Ch. 22 | Music Economy © Museen der Stadt Nürnberg, Dokumentations- 461 © HfM Weimar/Foto: Daniel Eckenfelder | zentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände (top right) | © HfM Weimar/Foto: Maik Schuck | Page Copyright Page Copyright © fimt/Abgabe Rüssel1 (bottom right) © HfM Weimar/Foto: Guido Werner | 450 © Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen © HfM Weimar/Foto: Alexander Burzik 566/567 © Timm Ziegenthaler 585 © WDR/Ines Kaiser zu Berlin/Foto: Martin Franken | 568 © Verlag Der Tagesspiegel 586 © Alciro Theodoro da Silva | © Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen 571 © Messe Frankfurt/Petra Weizel © Bärenreiter/Foto: Paavo Blåfield zu Berlin/Foto: Dietrich Graf 576 © Schott Music 589 © Musikalienhandlung M. Oelsner Leipzig 580 © BuschFunk 592/593 © C. Bechstein Pianoforte AG/Fotos: Deniz Saylan 582 Melt Festival © Stephan Flad 594/595 © Bach by Bike Ch. 18 | Information and Documentation

Page Copyright Page Copyright The German Music Council 464/465 © Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart/yi architects, 474 © Andreas Klingenberg/HfM Detmold Foto: martinlorenz.net 476 © Zentrum für populäre Kultur und Musik/ Page Copyright Page Copyright 467 © Eva Jünger/Münchner Stadtbibliothek Michael Fischer | © Zentrum für populäre Kultur 600/601 © DMR/Alfred Michel 610 © Heike Fischer | 468 © Falk von Traubenberg und Musik/Patrick Seeger 603 © Andreas Schoelzel © Marko Djokovic/Belgrade Philharmonic 469 © Claudia Monien | Foto: Costello Pilsner 477 © Zentrum für populäre Kultur und Musik/ 611 © Sascha Stiehler © Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin Michael Fischer 604 © Erich Malter 612 © Knoch/Siegel 473 © Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – PK, C. Seifert 480/481 © BSB/H.-R. Schulz 609 © Thomas Imo/photothek.net | © German Embassy New Delhi | © Maksym Horlay | © BJO/Meier

619 620