Bamberg Symphony

The Bamberg Symphony (German: Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie) is a renowned German orchestra top-class orchestra that has been residing in Bamberg since its foundation in 1946 and travels the world as a touring orchestra.

The Bamberg Symphony was founded in 1946 by musicians who as a result of the Beneš decrees had been driven out of Bohemia, Moravia, the Czech Sudetenland as well as from German cities and had ended up in Bamberg. The „core” of the orchestra comprised former members of the German Philharmonic Orchestra Prague. The first concert of the orchestra was performed on March 20, 1946 in Bamberg. In July 1946, the orchestra was renamed the „Bamberg Symphony“ (German: Bamberger Symphoniker).

The orchestra is recognized as an outstanding touring orchestra and has performed more than 7,500 concerts in 64 countries and over 530 cities in its history. It has worked with more than 500 guest conductors to date. Since 2004, it has held the title of state orchestra. The orchestra's musical roots trace back to Mahler and Mozart, and it is well known for its characteristic dark, full and resonant sound. Since the fall of 2016, the orchestra has been led by its sixth Chief Conductor, Czech-born Jakub Hrůša.

The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra is based in the Bamberg Concert Hall, which was opened in 1993 and acoustically optimized in 2008 by the Japanese acoustic designer Yasuhisa Toyota and has the nickname Sinfonie an der Regnitz (Symphony on the Regnitz). 2009 saw the concert hall undergo a comprehensive renovation and modernization following a concept by the designer Peter Schmidt.