The Gürzenich Orchestra, firmly rooted in Cologne but open to the world, stands for groundbreaking interpretations, innovative programmes and diverse offerings beyond the concert hall. It is one of Germany’s leading orchestras in both concert and opera – and has a tradition that has written music history like no other.
The orchestra was founded in 1827 by the Concert-Gesellschaft Köln, but its prehistory can be traced back to the medieval cultivation of music in Cologne. It has been the orchestra of the City of Cologne since 1888 and delights more than 100,000 visitors in about 50 concerts per season in the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. It also performs as the Cologne Opera Orchestra in around 160 performances each season.
Honorary conductors are Günter Wand (1946–1974) and Dmitrij Kitajenko. The designated Gürzenich Kapellmeister and General Music Director of the City of Cologne from 2025/26 is Andrés Orozco-Estrada.
The Gürzenich Orchestra looks back with pride on its great past: outstanding works of the Romantic repertoire by Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler were premiered with the Gürzenich Orchestra. Today, this heritage is an incentive for the orchestra and its conductors to build bridges to the music of the present day: here, too, it can point to an impressive list of important premieres.
Around 150 musicians of the highest international calibre put their heart and soul into making the orchestra to what it is: an orchestra of the highest calibre and with unlimited expressive possibilities. But it also leaves the classical concert hall full of joy and without fear of contact to creatively inspire people in the midst of society. This is also part of its self-image. With performances in senior citizens’ homes and kindergartens, workshops, concerts for schoolchildren and offers such as the Family Card, the orchestra inspires the most diverse target groups for music. Initiatives such as the Cologne Civic Orchestra and the Cologne Civic Choir invite people to actively participate. The orchestra is also active in the digital space with its GO Plus livestreams as well as podcasts and videos. Multiple award-winning CDs make it possible for the world to experience the orchestra’s uniqueness as cultural ambassadors of the city of Cologne.