After more than 25 years

Philharmonie Salzburg finally gets a home

The new program was presented on Friday.

(Bild: Erika Mayer)

The Philharmonie Salzburg's new rehearsal room in the Nonntal district is still a building site. However, the prospect of finally having their own premises more than 25 years after the orchestra was founded and years of wandering is already inspiring chief conductor Elisabeth Fuchs and her team. 

On Friday, Fuchs presented a varied program for 2025/26, which includes many cross-over projects and exciting formats in addition to pure classical music. Fuchs explained that the nomadic nature of the orchestra has finally come to an end. The orchestra is due to move into its new premises in May or June. In addition to a large rehearsal room, the former theater will also house rehearsal rooms, a music archive, administration and a ticket office. The costs of around three million euros for the purchase and renovation will be shared equally between the City and Province of Salzburg, said Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) at the presentation.

Diverse program from Beethoven to Michael Jackson
Beethoven's 9th Symphony, a new collaboration with the Herbert Pixner Project and the continuation of the "A Symphonic Tribute to" series with music by Michael Jackson are on the program in the series of concerts at the Großes Festspielhaus. In addition to Beethoven, Mozart, Dvořák and Grieg, the Philharmonic subscription in the Great Hall of the Mozarteum also offers a Christmas concert with cabaret artist Monika Gruber and Bach's "St. John Passion".

It is not easy to bring people to classical evening concerts, said Fuchs. This is a problem that concerns many organizers. That is why the conductor is constantly trying out new formats. The "Mitten im Orchester" series is entering its third season. This cycle is becoming increasingly popular. In this series, the soloists are in the middle and the audience can sit around the orchestra musicians. Concerts are planned for 2025/26 with Romanticism from Hollywood and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, a Best of Musical and Rhapsody & Saxophone in Concert.

Numerous guest appearances on the schedule
The orchestra's program also includes numerous guest performances. Among other things, the Philharmonie Salzburg and its 150-strong choir will make their debut with Beethoven's Ninth at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Guest appearances are also planned in Obertauern, Eferding, Attersee and Wildshut. The Philharmonie Salzburg will also once again be part of the cultural summer program in Bad Hofgastein with a focus on alpine, forest and park concerts.

Varied family and children's program
The diverse family and children's program is of great importance. The Salzburg Children's Festival is now the largest concert organizer for children, young people and families in Austria and reaches around 25,000 people each season, emphasized the orchestra director. This year, "Die Moldau" will be the focus of the children's festival week, there will be several concert projects by the Salzburg Children's and Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and a new edition of the "Show your talent" competition, which is made possible by a donation from Marlene Engelhorn's Good Council.

Turnover of almost 4 million euros
Last year, the Philharmonie Salzburg gave a total of 191 performances, including 113 orchestral concerts. The two associations, Philharmonie Salzburg and Salzburg Children's Festival, achieved a combined turnover of 3.89 million euros, said Fuchs. Almost 50 percent of the Philharmonie's income comes from ticket sales. Large cross-over concerts such as the upcoming "A Symphonic Tribute to the Beatles" concerts in the Grosses Festspielhaus in May help to finance smaller projects, the musician explained.