The Kammerorchester Basel is firmly rooted in the city of Basel, with two subscription concert series at the Stadtcasino Basel as well as its own rehearsal and performance venue, Don Bosco Basel. With more than 60 concerts each season, the orchestra performs at international festivals and in Europe’s leading concert halls, including the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Theater an der Wien.
A discography of more than 30 award-winning recordings on renowned labels such as Sony Classical, Harmonia Mundi, Pentatoneand Warner Classics testifies to the ensemble’s exceptional quality and versatility. For its historically informed performances the orchestra received the ECHO Klassik in 2008 in the category “Best Ensemble” and, in 2019, became the first orchestra to be awarded the Swiss Music Prize.
Artists who have collaborated with the orchestra include soloists such as Hélène Grimaud, Regula Mühlemann, Vilde Frang, Bertrand Chamayou and Sebastian Bohren, as well as conductors including Delyana Lazarova, Izabelė Jankauskaitė, René Jacobsand Marc Minkowski.
The orchestra’s programmes are as diverse as its 47 musicians, ranging from early music on historical instruments to contemporary repertoire. Each year the orchestra commissions new works and participates in the Basel Composition Competition.
Under the direction of Giovanni Antonini the orchestra, alternating with Il Giardino Armonico, will perform and record all 107 symphonies by Joseph Haydn through 2032. Since 2022 all symphonies by Mendelssohn have also been performed under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe.
A central aspect of the orchestra’s work is its forward-looking educational and outreach programme, particularly through large-scale participatory projects developed in creative collaboration with children and young people.
With its high level of self-financing the Kammerorchester Basel pursues an innovative and entrepreneurial approach. Since 2019 theClariant Foundation has been the presenting sponsor of the orchestra.
