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The Saxon Wind Philharmonic has a new chief conductor and artistic director since January 1st, 2021. Peter Sommerer takes over the baton from Prof. Thomas Clamor, who left the orchestra at his own request to take on new professional challenges. Peter Sommerer was the orchestra's preferred candidate. After he briefly took over three New Year's concerts of the abo-concerts in Bad Lausick in January 2020 on the recommendation of the conductor Stefan Diederich, it was love at first sight, so to speak: “The first rehearsal with the orchestra was wonderful. Concentrated, with musical ease, well versed in the repertoire, but open to new things, demands on oneself, on the conductor, humorous and personable, well-knowing who we are doing this for: our audience. ", said Sommerer about his first meeting with the orchestra . Further guest engagements were agreed for 2020, some of which - due to corona - had to be canceled. After abo-concerts in Bad Lausick and Bad Düben in Autumn 2020, the Saxon Wind Philharmonic and Peter Sommerer decided to go onto new musical ways together in the future. After studying at the Vienna University of Music, the Austrian conductor held various assistant positions at large opera houses, such as the Vienna State Opera, Semperoper in Dresden, Berlin State Opera or at the National Opera in Munich. He continued his career as capellmeister before becoming General Music Director at the Schleswig-Holstein State Theater. Peter Sommerer has been working as freelancer since 2019 and he performs internationally as guest conductor. Engagements have taken him to different countries in Europe, Mexico, the Middle East and Asia. Peter Sommerer also teaches as a lecturer in conducting and ensemble leading at the Lübeck University of Music. For the future, Peter Sommerer has set himself a few goals with which he would like to continue the success story of the Saxon Wind Philharmonic. “I would like to take this opportunity to expressly thanks to my predecessor, Prof. Thomas Clamor, for allowing me to start with a grown, established orchestral structure which has also been won through orchestral initiatives. It enables me to plan innovative projects ”. The presence of the orchestra in the region is to him very important, the districts of the Cultural Area of ​​the orchestra (district of Leipzig Province and Northern Saxony), to expand the previous abo-concert series for the audience and to develop new concert formats, children, maintaining school formats and expanding the audience and fan radius - if possible again - as a musical ambassador for the region through more intensive travel. "Together with the new managing director, Falk Hartig, I am looking forward to an innovative, future-oriented, artistically demanding time!"

From the LVZ Muldental, 22nd of December 2020:

More than a gesture: the Rundfunkblasorchester Leipzig started up 70 years ago: The Saxon Wind Philharmonic, as the orchestra is called today, was unable to celebrate its anniversary during the pandemic. It should be made up for 2021. Its history will be narrated by a traveling exhibition, which will be on the road in the entire cultural area of Leipzig. The mining and energy company LEAG is a company which supports social and cultural institutions in the Lausitz area.

"We want to give something back for the gap created by the pandemic", says CEO of Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG, Dr. Markus Binder. The 5,000 Euro donation to the Saxon Wind Philharmonic will be used for the production of the exhibition.

Author: Ekkehard Schulreich

Falk Hartig has been the new managing director since October 1st, 2020. Due to the illness of the previous managing director, Ms. Gabriele Hegner, for an indefinite period of time, it has become necessary to fill the managing director position for the 2020/2021 season.

Mr Hartig, a very experienced man with an affinity for culture has been having over 12 years of continuous professional experience in a managerial position for cultural institutions and knows the local cultural landscape very well. Mr Hartig was most recently employed for more than six years as head of the cultural department at the city of Markkleeberg, where he played a key role in building up the regular cultural operations in the White House in Markkleeberg and the international concert series "Blüthner Master Concerts".

A big chapter in our orchestra comes to an end. We say goodbye to our long-time chief conductor Prof. Thomas Clamor!

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we were unable to do one last farewell concert and we hope that we will soon be able to see each other again safe and sound. It is difficult to reproduce ten years of experienced events, but we try to do it with this video. Gunter Brauer (principal oboe player and concertmaster) and Andreas Treffurth (principal E-flat clarinetist and member of the orchestra board) have compiled the greatest highlights from this period.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iaAyHjTWzI

With this new CD, the Saxon Wind Philharmonic, which is unique in its field, presents works from early baroque to classical modernism, which are characterized by an immediately appealing proximity to English folk music and a closeness to tradition. The orchestra is supported by the ECHO Classic award winner Andreas Martin Hofmeir, who plays Vaughan Williams ’Tuba Concerto with incomparable ease.