Philharmonie Baden-Baden

Organised music-making in Baden-Baden goes back to 1460; a permanent orchestra has been maintained since 1854, making this the oldest municipal orchestra in Baden-Württemberg. Its guest list runs from Liszt onwards. The Philharmonie plays symphony concerts and chamber programmes, opera galas in the Festspielhaus, ballet evenings with visiting companies from Hamburg, Zurich, Vienna and Milan, and concerts in the spa town's gardens; verismo arias and duets have featured among its gala programmes. It teaches as much as it performs — the Carl Flesch Academy trains string players, and children's concerts and bilingual school programmes belong to the annual round. Heiko Mathias Förster has been principal conductor since 2022.