Duisburger Philharmoniker

The Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra with its General Music Director Axel Kober is one of the most important institutions in the cultural landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia. As an orchestra with almost 150 years of history, the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to tradition, but also sees itself as an important driving force and pioneer for concert and orchestral music in the 21st century. In addition to its home venue, the Philharmonie Mercatorhalle, the orchestra pit of the Theater Duisburg has traditionally been the second home of the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra. For this long and successful theater marriage with the Düsseldorf Opera House as the “Deutsche Oper am Rhein”, the orchestra was awarded the Music Prize of the City of Duisburg in 2013.


At the heart of each season are the twelve Philharmonic Concerts in the Philharmonie Mercatorhalle, in which central works of the symphonic tradition from the Baroque to the modern era are performed in collaboration with internationally renowned conductors. These are complemented by the “Profile” chamber concert series, in which the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra passionately explores the repertoire together with prominent guest musicians. The Duisburg Philharmonic also presents cross-over projects, open-air concerts and nationwide guest performances.

They also see themselves as an innovative, cosmopolitan orchestra that opens up new audiences with international tours, its own educational concert program “klasse.klassik”, participation in major music festivals and performances away from the usual venues. The Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra is also moved in a figurative, metaphorical sense: through numerous creative processes. The orchestra sees itself as a living and learning cultural institution that plays a decisive role in the creative and individual development of people and in open society as a whole, and is committed to musical renewal and reflection on social change.

In 2021, long-time artistic director Prof. Dr. Alfred Wendel handed over the reins to musicologist and cultural manager Nils Szczepanski, who has since continued to lead the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra into the future of the classical concert business. However, the new season also brings a farewell, as it will be the last for Axel Kober, who has been General Music Director of the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019 and has significantly developed its profile.
The Duisburg Philharmonic also presents cross-over projects, open-air concerts and nationwide guest performances.

Homepage: www.duisburger-philharmoniker.de