ORKIESTRA AKADEMII BEETHOVE-
NOWSKIEJ (BEETHOVEN ACADEMY ORCHESTRA)

The Beethoven Academy Orchestra is one of Poland’s leading symphony orchestras of the young generation. Its members are the most outstanding students and graduates of European higher music education institutions, including the Music Academy in Cracow, High School of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart, High School of Music in Karlsruhe, Royal Music Conservatoire in Brussels, Conservatoire International de Musique in Paris, and University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. The ensemble was established in 2003, following the success at the 53rd Festival of Young Artists in Bayreuth. 

The ensemble has recorded 17 albums for labels such as DUX Poland, Centaur Records USA, Le Foxx Music, and Universal Music, and has also signed a contract with EMI London KPM. It has recorded soundtracks for companies such as Warner Bros. and Monolith, cooperating with Hans Zimmer, Elliot Goldenthal, Michał Lorenc, and Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, and has recorded the platinum-winning album Seven Songs of Mary (Universal Music) which sold over 300,000 copies. 

Since its beginnings, the orchestra has been working under the artistic and organisational supervision of Marcin Klejdysz. Since November 2013, the post of the orchestra’s principal conductor has been held by Jacek Kaspszyk. The musicians have worked with leading conductors, composers and soloists including Krzysztof Penderecki, Gabriel Chmura, Michał Dworzyński, Wolfgang Seeliger, Andreas Spering, Łukasz Borowicz, Cristiano Vasquez, Michał Klauza, Piotr Sułkowski, Paweł Przytocki, Steven Isserlis, Kaja Danczowska, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Aleksandra Kurzak, Łukasz Długosz, Gautier Capuçon, Małgorzata Walewska, Alexander Kobrin, Kolja Blacher, Wibi Soerjadi, Thomas Quastho , Konstantin Scherbakov, Ingolf Wunder, Christian Lindberg, Oystein Baadsvik, Kevin Kenner, Bartosz Koziak, SoOck Kim, Edita Gruberová, Iwona Sobotka, Rafał Bartmiński, as well as prizewinners and participants of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw: Charles Richard-Hamelin, Szymon Nehring, Dmitri Shishkin, and Krzysztof Książek. 

The Beethoven Academy Orchestra has been a regular guest in prestigious concert halls in Europe and overseas. Having performed regularly with the Darmstadt Concert Choir, it has been Darmstadt’s orchestra in residence since 2011. The ensemble puts also great emphasis on educating the youngest audience members. Thanks to the support of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Polish Institute of Film Art, and local governments, it has organised numerous educational concerts.