Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Since its founding 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, unite for each tour or project. The chamber music dialogue and unanimous act of listening shape the orchestra’s sound; it’s a philosophy inspired by the group’s founding mentor Claudio Abbado that the MCO calls “the sound of listening.”

Last season, the MCO performed with conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Maxim Emelyanychev, Tugan Sokhiev, Anja Bihlmaier, and with its Artistic Advisor Daniele Gatti, among others. The MCO is also known for its performances without a conductor; our Artistic Partners Yuja Wang and Mitsuko Uchida, with whom the orchestra goes on tour several times a year, often lead the MCO from the piano. During the 2024–25, season, the MCO joins the stage with Antonello Manacorda, Gianandrea Noseda, Elim Chan, Raphaël Pichon, and again with Maxim Emelyanychev, as well as with soloists Augustin Hadelich and Stéphane Degout.

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 characterized by chamber music every year. In March 2025, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, a longtime 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 Feel the Music program 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 orchestra’s performances are often recorded and aired by major broadcasters and on ARTE; the ensemble’s most recent CD featuring the opera picture a day like this was released by Nimbus in September 2024. Together with Artistic Partner for Immersive Experiences Henrik Oppermann/Schallgeber, the MCO has developed a series of XR (Extended Reality) 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.