News

30. May 2022

Welcome, Armida Quartet!

We are pleased to welcome the Armida Quartet as musical ambassadors of OdW. "We, the Armida Quartet, as cultural workers, want to use the resources of our planet as sparingly as possible and make dealing with the climate crisis an important core idea of our cultural message." Glad to have you on board!

28. April 2022

"The Chocolate Ride" mit OdW

100% organic, 100% fair, 100% emission-free transported, 100% delicious. The cocoa beans (from the Dominican Republic) are transported to Amsterdam via the sailing ship 'Tres Hombres', processed into delicious chocolate in a solar-powered factory in Amsterdam and finally transported by cargo bike to the German concert and opera houses!

29. March 2022

#statement #ukraine #peace #nowar

When we make music, we experience connection in its purest form. Contrasts and extremes play an essential role, leading us to the all-encompassing whole that we call music. Community is the foundation of our association - through music, we wish to protect the climate and the environment for all the people in the world...

28. March 2022

Climate-neutral through Spain

The Düsseldorfer Symphoniker are headed out on a concert tour through Spain under their chief conductor Adám Fischer. A special concert beforehand will raise funds to offset the CO2 emissions from the tour. Additionally to keep emissions low, the orchestra will travel between concert cities exclusively by train.

18. March 2022

OPUS KLASSIK Innovation Prize for Sustainability

The board of OdW has been asked to serve as advisors to the jury for the Opus Klassik 2022 “Innovation Prize for Sustainability”. This newly created category honors a relevant initiative, for example to protect the climate and the environment in the field of classical music. Applications are accepted now through March 31st. We look forward to hearing your wonderful ideas!

14. January 2022

Welcome, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen!

We welcome the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen as new members of Orchester des Wandels! We are glad to have you! The largest of the 3 North Rhine-Westphalia regional orchestras, the NPW send their greetings with this specially filmed clip.

24. December 2021

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas with this fun holiday short video played by musicians from our founding orchestra the Staatskapelle Berlin. With now 31 member orchestras and numerous individual members, we look forward to inspiring climate protection in the New Year!

13. December 2021

Misaotra anao!

In the Malagasy language we would like to say "thank you" to the SWR Symphony Orchestra for the generous donation of € 5000, which goes directly to support our reforestation project for ebony trees in Madagascar!

22. October 2021

COP26 - ACT NOW!

A world without fish? Without water? Musicians of the Bremer Philharmoniker wonder if Franz Schubert's "Trout Quintet" will still be relevant in the future if we don't act now. Click below to view the video on our new YouTube Channel. More OdW musicians will be making videos in the coming weeks to thank all scientists and COP26 participants for helping to preserve our planet.

25. September 2021

#17Ziele Flashmob

Simultaneously at 1:00 pm on Saturday September 19th musicians and orchestras across 17 cities in Germany musicians drew attention to the UN’s 17 sustainable sustainable development goals with a flashmob of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". Our member orchestras the Bremer Philharmoniker, Bochumer Symphoniker, Duisburger Philharmoniker, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and Essener Philharmoniker, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal were a part of the world record setting event.

18. July 2021

Orchestra of the Staatsoperette Dresden records for „EARTH•CHOIR•KIDS – Unsere Stimmen für das Klima“

Our member orchestra, the Orchestra of the Staatsoperette Dresden recently recorded three songs for the project "EARTH•CHOIR•KIDS - Our voices for the climate". EARTH•CHOIR•KIDS is a project by the songwriter Reinhard Horn, which aims to make children and young people aware of the issue of climate through music: creative, powerful and committed.

24. June 2021

New Photo Gallery!

In May, musicians from 22 of our member orchestras met in Berlin to be a part of the first major musical project of "Orchester des Wandels": a CD recording under the baton of Thomas Guggeis and with the soprano Sarah Aristidou in the old Funkhaus Berlin and the state opera "Unter den Linden". Daniel Häker, a member of the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra and photographer, accompanied the project and created a photo series that portrays the musicians in close relation to a small olive tree. This symbolizes our main project, the reforestation of ebony in Madagascar.

23. June 2021

Duisburger Philharmoniker Nature Rally on June 27

In September 2020, ensembles of the Duisburger Philharmoniker played music as part of Climate Workshop#1 "For a thriving Duisburg" and presented their collaborations with nature conservation initiatives in the city. The proceeds of this concert went to the benefit of the association "Naturwerkstatt e.V." Together with Martin Scholz Naturwerkstatt e.V. we are now organizing a nature rally for families at the Sechs-Seen-Platte in Duisburg on June 27. This will be held as part of the project "Fruit Trees between Orient and Occident", for which the association received an award from UNESCO in 2013. On a tour, participating families will explore the forest and learn about the connections between music, nature and climate protection.

03. June 2021

A quick and easy start

We have put together a great guide to sustainability in concert operations (currently available only in German)

25. May 2021

BackstageBeethoven

BackstageBeethoven is the podcast of the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn (BOB), where one can find all news and talk about Beethoven, music and orchestra life. Musicians Martin Wandel and Anna Krimm of BOB, a member orchestra since the beginning of the year, speak with Magdalena Ernst (Chairperson of Orchester des Wandels) about projects, plans and goals of our climate protection initiative.

25. May 2021

Signing of Music Declares Emergency's open letter

High profile individuals and organisations within the classical music world have joined with Music Declares Emergency to further strengthen the response from the music world to the climate emergency and to develop best practice in making their sector more sustainable. In an open letter they address themselves to the public and profess themselves for active climate protection. We have proudly signed this letter. Won't you too?

30. April 2021

Livestreams for Nature

While the concert halls remain empty, many orchestras are offering digital concerts. The musicians of our member orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, call upon their livestream audience to make a donation to Orchester des Wandels in the amount that they would have spent on a concert ticket. Great idea!

09. April 2021

"Culture is a wonderful way of bringing the issue of sustainability further into the community..."

In an interview with Concerti.de, our president Detlef Grooß talks about Orchester des Wandels ("Orchestras of Change"), new concert formats, the fight against climate change, our Madagascar project and our musicians, who see climate protection as a team sport.

07. April 2021

We are growing!

We welcome three new member orchestras: Philharmonisches Orchester der Hansestadt Lübeck, Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal and the Dresden Staatsoperette Orchestra. Here you can learn more about our new member orchestras: