,_St._Ulrich_church,_inner_view.jpg)
The Philharmonische Staatsorchester Halle was a symphony orchestra in Halle that existed from 1946 to 2006, which functioned as a concert orchestra and was last predominantly supported by the Land of Saxony-Anhalt. As a result of the fusion with the Orchester des Opernhauses Halle, the Orchestra was merged into the Staatskapelle Halle in 2006.
It was founded in 1946 by Arthur Bohnhardt as the "Hallisches Sinfonie-Orchester" and subsequently operated under various names. After the Robert Franz Singing Academy had joined it in 1953 and Hermann Abendroth had become honorary conductor, the Halle Symphony Orchestra was founded. Abendroth became honorary conductor, it became one of three State Symphony Orchestras in the GDR in 1954.
The orchestra experienced its heyday under the chief conductor Olaf Koch, who led the Hallesche Philharmonie to national recognition in the 1970s and 1980s. The orchestra premiered several Neue Musik works. From 1979, the affiliated avant-garde Ensemble Konfrontation set standards with its series of the same name. The Philharmonie was repeatedly awarded the Handel Prize of the Halle district.
After the Peaceful Revolution, the orchestra was elevated to Staatsorchester and led by Generalmusikdirektor Heribert Beissel. Well-known orchestra directors such as Bernhard Klee (1999/2000) and Wolf-Dieter Hauschild (2001-2004) now worked as conductors in Halle. From 1998 onwards, the permanent venue was the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Halle.