Concert information
At the invitation of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Info
The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie brings together the finest music students in Germany – tomorrow’s orchestral professionals. In this concert at the Philharmonie Berlin, they perform Joseph Haydn’s radiant and festive Symphony No. 99, said to have been the composer’s favourite, alongside Sergei Prokofiev’s dramatic Sixth Symphony, haunted by the aftermath of the Second World War. Opening the programme, conductor John Storgårds also plays the solo part in Sebastian Fagerlund’s Helena’s Song, in which the Finnish composer reworks a key scene from his opera Höstsonaten for violin and orchestra.
Artists
Junge Deutsche Philharmonie
John Storgårds violin and conductor
Programme
Sebastian Fagerlund
Helena's Song for violin and orchestra
Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 99 in E flat major
Interval
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, op. 111
Additional information
Duration ca. 2 hours and 15 minutes (incl. 20 minutes interval)
Dates and tickets
Main Auditorium
9 to 45 €
Background
Biography
The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie describes itself as the “orchestra of the future”. Its members are outstanding students from music colleges and conservatoires across the German-speaking world, and the orchestra is run democratically by the musicians themselves. On regular tours throughout Europe, the ensemble combines contemporary music with the symphonic repertoire and historically informed performance. The orchestra has partnerships with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Bamberg Symphony.
Education is also an important part of its work, including long-term collaborations with schools in the Rhine-Main region. For many young musicians, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie provides a bridge between study and professional life; former members have gone on to positions in orchestras and music colleges throughout Germany and beyond. Several prominent ensembles also have their roots in the orchestra, among them the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Resonanz and Ensemble Modern.
In 2025, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Ensemble Modern and the International Ensemble Modern Academy founded Sound Port Frankfurt – Workshop for Music and Experiment, an initiative devoted to developing new musical projects.
John Storgårds
“Playing the violin and conducting are a good combination,” says John Storgårds. “I need the violin playing; it helps me develop.” The Finnish musician has built a dual career as conductor and violinist. He studied violin with Chaim Taub in Israel and later became concertmaster of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra before training as a conductor with Jorma Panula and Eri Klas at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He is known for performances that combine energy with precision, as well as for imaginative programming.
Storgårds is chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, artistic director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, and music director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. Since the 2026/27 season, he has also been principal conductor and artistic adviser of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie.
His repertoire ranges from the symphonies of Sibelius, Nielsen, Bruckner, Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Schumann to less familiar Scandinavian works and contemporary music. He has also given numerous premieres, including works written for him, among them Per Nørgård’s Symphony No. 8, Kaija Saariaho’s Nocturne for solo violin and Sebastian Fagerlund’s Helena’s Song.
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