Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

Court music at Gotha reaches back to 1651, when the dukes of Saxe-Gotha established the orchestra from which this ensemble traces its descent — one of the longest continuous orchestral lines in Germany. The double-barrelled name records the joining of the Gotha players with the musicians of Eisenach, Bach's birthplace, and the orchestra now serves both towns. Symphony concerts, opera and education work fill the winter; in summer the players move outdoors, into the courtyard of Schloss Friedenstein, for programmes that range well beyond the concert repertoire. The Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach was formed in 2017 through the merger of the Gotha orchestra and the Landeskapelle Eisenach. Its predecessor traditions include the Gotha court orchestra founded by Ernst I of Saxe-Gotha in 1651 and Eisenach's court ensemble of 1672, followed by that city's municipal orchestra in 1919. Its activities include educational programmes, work with conducting and composition students, and the Barock ImPuls series introduced in 2020.