Sinfonie Orchester Berlin - Berlin Symphony Orchestra
The Berlin Symphony Orchestra looks back on a history spanning more than 70 years, an anniversary that will be celebrated in 2027. For decades, it has shaped the city’s cultural life and has been closely associated with the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, where its concerts are regularly held at the highest artistic level. Over the years, outstanding musicians have performed here as soloists and conductors in successful collaborations with members of the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras. This extraordinary ensemble project uniquely brings together experienced top musicians and young, up-and-coming talents in a single orchestra.
The Principal Conductors
Stanley Dodds: 2014–2025
During the 2014–2015 season, Stanley Dodds was appointed Principal Conductor of the Sinfonie Orchester Berlin. Dodds had been a violinist with the Berlin Philharmonic since 1994 and had previously studied at the Karajan Academy. The German-Australian previously trained as a violinist and conductor in Linz and Lucerne. He is a prize winner of numerous competitions and looks back on an impressive career as both a musician and a conductor. As a conductor, Stanley Dodds has assisted Sir Simon Rattle on several occasions.
Stanley Dodds’ experience helped shape the profile and artistic presence of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, as his goal was to “lead every ensemble beyond its limits and fully realize its unique qualities.” He forged an emotional connection between the orchestra and the audience, turning each of his concerts into a unique musical experience.
Since 2024, Stanley Dodds has served as chief conductor and artistic director of the Cavatina Philharmonic Orchestra in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. He founded the orchestra that same year. The city’s first full-time orchestra presents nearly 30 concerts each season in the architecturally renowned Cavatina Hall.
Due to this career change, Stanley Dodds handed over the baton at the end of the 2024–25 season to his former colleague from the Berlin Philharmonic, Andreas Wittmann.
Read more…
Andreas Wittmann
Starting with the 2025/26 season, Andreas Wittmann, a member of the Berlin Philharmonic, took over as chief conductor of the Sinfonie Orchester Berlin. He has been closely associated with the orchestra for nearly 15 years as a guest conductor.
Andreas Wittmann studied oboe and conducting in Munich and Berlin. In Munich, he was taught by Prof. Hermann Michael and participated several times in conducting courses led by Sergiu Celibidache.
From 1985 to 1986, he studied at the Karajan Academy on a scholarship. Immediately afterward, he was engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic. There, his collaboration with Herbert von Karajan had a particularly profound influence on him in the early years.
In 1988, together with four of his colleagues, he founded the “Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet,” with which he has performed in many countries around the world for over 30 years and recorded numerous albums for the Swedish label “BIS.” As principal oboist, he served for several years in the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra under renowned conductors such as Giuseppe Sinopoli, James Levine, and Daniel Barenboim. In addition, he is actively engaged as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator both in Germany and abroad.
For over 25 years, he has been a lecturer at the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic, which he directed from 2013 to 2015. As a conductor, the Munich native works with various orchestras, including the Bursa Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), the Orquesta Sinfónica de Monterrey (Mexico), the Orquestra Sinfónica de Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)—which he regularly conducts as a guest conductor—and the Sinfonia Varsovia Symphony Orchestra (Poland).
The Orchestra
Such a demanding program of masterpieces from the Classical, Romantic, and Baroque periods sets high artistic standards for the Berlin Symphony Orchestra: composers such as Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvořák pose equal challenges for the orchestra, conductor, and soloists alike.
The Berlin Symphony Orchestra is an excellent ensemble that performs these works from the great symphonic repertoire at a high level. This is only possible thanks to a core group of members who are exceptionally well-rehearsed. Among them are many orchestral musicians who previously played in leading Berlin classical ensembles. Others have been working regularly with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra for several years. Together, they lay the artistic and technical foundation necessary to meet the demands of the popular and challenging works of the great orchestral repertoire.
Soloists and Guest Conductors
Members of world-renowned orchestras such as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics or the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin are happy to make frequent guest appearances with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. All of these artists are outstanding instrumental soloists. Some of them also have extensive training as conductors. They work regularly and with great enthusiasm with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, as this allows them, as conductors, to set their own artistic and interpretive priorities while presenting beloved masterpieces to a knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience in the halls of the Philharmonie.
Working with Principal Conductor Andreas Wittmann, as well as guest conductors and outstanding soloists, allows the Sinfonie Orchester Berlin to maintain artistic consistency while also fostering creative growth and openness to new inspiration. In one respect, the orchestra always remains true to itself: to provide the audience with an emotional experience and hours of relaxation and harmony, performed with great joy and passion.
