WDR Sinfonieorchester

The WDR Sinfonieorchester is one of Germany's most outstanding orchestras. Based in Cologne, it shapes the musical landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia in a special way, primarily through its concert series at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall and through partnerships with the region's major concert halls and festivals. 

The orchestra can be heard regularly in Germany's music capitals, such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Munich, Dresden, and Berlin. It has performed at renowned festivals such as the BBC Proms, the George Enescu Festival, the Venice Biennale, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and in major music centers in China.

Since 2019, the ensemble has been under the direction of Cristian Măcelaru, who joins a long tradition of important chief conductors such as Christoph von Dohnányi, Semyon Bychkov, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Since its founding in 1947, the WDR Symphony Orchestra has made music history with important premieres and the WDR series "Music of the Time." To date, with over 750 premieres, including works by Igor Stravinsky, Hans Werner Henze, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, Wolfgang Rihm, and Jörg Widmann, it is one of the most important commissioners of contemporary compositions.