Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Since its foundation in 1997, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO) has established itself as one of
the world's leading chamber orchestras. Working as a "global collective," the MCO is led by its
members in collaboration with its Berlin-based management office. The musicians, who come from
around 25 different countries, join together to perform numerous projects. The chamber music
dialogue and unanimous act of listening shape the Orchestra’s sound; it’s a philosophy inspired by
the Orchestra’s founding mentor Claudio Abbado that the MCO calls The Sound of Listening.
In the past 2023/2024 season, the MCO performed with conductors Anja Bihlmaier, Maxim
Emelyanychev, Sir Simon Rattle, and Tugan Sokhiev and with its Artistic Advisor Daniele Gatti,
among others. In the next season, the MCO will join the stage with Antonello Manacorda,
Gianandrea Noseda, Elim Chan, Raphaël Pichon, Joanna Mallwitz and the Orchestra's Conductor
Laureate Daniel Harding.

The MCO is known for its performances without a conductor, in which a respective soloist leads the
ensemble from their instrument. Most recently, the MCO has performed in this play-and-lead
format with its Artistic Partners Yuja Wang and Mitsuko Uchida, with whom it tours several times a
year. Projects with soloists Augustin Hadelich and Daniel Lozakovich are also planned for the
2024/2025 season.

The Orchestra maintains residencies in Berlin, Salzburg, and Lucerne; from 2026, it will succeed
the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the Baden-Baden Easter Festival. In 2024, the MCO assumed
the role of Artistic Director of Musikwoche Hitzacker, where it presents a diverse repertoire
characterised by chamber music every year. In March 2025, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, a long-time
friend and collaborator of the MCO will be the festival’s artist in residence.

The MCO is committed to enriching lives through music and actively creates on-and-off-stage
encounters that bring music, learning, and creativity to communities across the globe. Its
programme Feel the Music introduces music to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, while the
MCO Academy allows orchestra members to share their expertise with the next generation of
musicians. Additionally, the MCO’s school concerts invite students on a multicultural journey,
fostering introspection and contemplation on the theme of "Belonging".

The MCO's performances are often recorded and aired by major broadcasters and on ARTE; the
ensemble's most recent CD with works by Stravinsky and De Falla was released by harmonia mundi
in February 2024. Together with its Artistic Partner for Immersive Experiences, Henrik
Oppermann/Schallgeber, the MCO has developed a series of XR concert formats. Since July 2024,
some of the chamber music pieces produced in XR have been available in the Mahler Chamber
Orchestra app for Apple Vision Pro.