Composer in Residence 2026/27: Brett Dean
With the Berliner Philharmoniker
And once I played Ophelia
Beggars and Angels
Phantoms · Locket
The Lost Art of Letter Writing
Chamber music with orchestra members
Imaginary Ballet
Epitaphs
In the Digital Concert Hall
Brett Dean in the Digital Concert Hall archive
As a violist with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Brett Dean led a double life — composing and improvising in Kreuzberg clubs. In 1999, after 14 years with the orchestra, he left to pursue a high-profile international career in composition. In the 2026/27 season, Brett Dean returns to his erstwhile orchestra as Composer in Residence. The season features inventive works that extend the expressive possibilities of orchestral instruments, combining intricate construction with a bold sense of colour. Both muscular and sensual, his scores are shaped by his experience with the Berliner Philharmoniker. “The sound of this orchestra is still inside me when I compose,” he says.
In conversation with Brett Dean
Concerts with works by Brett Dean
Composer in Residence
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Brett Dean conductor
Jennifer France soprano
Works by
Brett Dean and Claude Debussy
Brett Dean
Conversations with Schumann
Jennifer France soprano
Brett Dean
And once I played Ophelia
Jennifer France soprano
Interval
Claude Debussy
La Cathédrale engloutie (orch. Colin Matthews)
Brett Dean
Beggars and Angels
Composer in Residence
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Brett Dean conductor
Jennifer France soprano
Works by
Brett Dean and Claude Debussy
Brett Dean
Conversations with Schumann
Jennifer France soprano
Brett Dean
And once I played Ophelia
Jennifer France soprano
Interval
Claude Debussy
La Cathédrale engloutie (orch. Colin Matthews)
Brett Dean
Beggars and Angels
Composer in Residence
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Brett Dean conductor
Jennifer France soprano
Works by
Brett Dean and Claude Debussy
Brett Dean
Conversations with Schumann
Jennifer France soprano
Brett Dean
And once I played Ophelia
Jennifer France soprano
Interval
Claude Debussy
La Cathédrale engloutie (orch. Colin Matthews)
Brett Dean
Beggars and Angels
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Late Night
Noah Bendix-Balgley violin
Brett Dean viola
Ludwig Quandt cello
Benjamin Hochman piano
Works by
Cathy Milliken, Brett Dean and Robert Schumann
Cathy Milliken
In Play (premiere)
Brett Dean
Imaginary Ballet
Robert Schumann
Piano Quartet in E flat major, op. 47
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sakari Oramo conductor
Vilde Frang violin
Works by
Brett Dean, Benjamin Britten and Jean Sibelius
Brett Dean
Phantoms – Scenes for orchestras(s). Compositional Assistance and Sound Design: Bob Scott (premiere), commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation
Benjamin Britten
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 15
Vilde Frang violin
Interval
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, op. 82
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sakari Oramo conductor
Vilde Frang violin
Works by
Brett Dean, Benjamin Britten and Jean Sibelius
Brett Dean
Phantoms – Scenes for orchestras(s). Compositional Assistance and Sound Design: Bob Scott (premiere), commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation
Benjamin Britten
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 15
Vilde Frang violin
Interval
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, op. 82
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sakari Oramo conductor
Vilde Frang violin
Works by
Brett Dean, Benjamin Britten and Jean Sibelius
Brett Dean
Phantoms – Scenes for orchestras(s). Compositional Assistance and Sound Design: Bob Scott (premiere), commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation
Benjamin Britten
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 15
Vilde Frang violin
Interval
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, op. 82
Chamber Music Hall
Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker
Brett Dean conductor
N. N. piano
Works by
Brett Dean, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Ludwig van Beethoven and György Kurtág
Brett Dean
Dream Sequence
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
String Sextet in D major, op. 10
Interval
Brett Dean
Epitaphs for string quintet
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight”: 1st Movement Adagio sostenuto
György Kurtág
...quasi una fantasia..., op. 27 No. 1
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Alan Gilbert conductor
Isabelle Faust violin
Works by
Brett Dean and Robert Schumann
Brett Dean
The Lost Art of Letter Writing for violin and orchestra
Isabelle Faust violin
Interval
Robert Schumann
Symphony No. 2 in C major, op. 61
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Alan Gilbert conductor
Isabelle Faust violin
Works by
Brett Dean and Robert Schumann
Brett Dean
The Lost Art of Letter Writing for violin and orchestra
Isabelle Faust violin
Interval
Robert Schumann
Symphony No. 2 in C major, op. 61