Carnegie Hall

The Munich Philharmonic was founded in 1893, and since then, under the direction of renowned conductors, it has vastly enriched Munich’s musical life. Gustav Mahler conducted the orchestra in the world premieres of his Fourth and Eighth symphonies, and in November 1911, the world premiere of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde took place under Bruno Walter’s direction. Ferdinand Löwe led the first Bruckner concerts and established the orchestra’s Bruckner tradition, which was then gloriously continued by Siegmund von Hausegger, Oswald von Kabasta, and Rudolf Kempe.

The legendary Bruckner concerts with general music director Sergiu Celibidache made a major contribution to the orchestra’s international reputation. The Munich Philharmonic made Zubin Mehta the first conductor laureate in the orchestra’s history. For the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in Munich, chief conductor Christian Thielemann conducted two performances of the work. He was succeeded as chief conductor by Lorin Maazel, who held the position until his death in 2014.

From 2015 to 2022, Valery Gergiev held the position of chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic. In 2016, the first CD recordings documenting the Munich Philharmonic’s work were released under the orchestra’s own label, MPHIL. From 2017 to 2019, the Munich Philharmonic and Mr. Gergiev recorded all of Bruckner’s symphonies in the basilica of St. Florian Monastery, Bruckner’s final resting place. With Spielfeld Klassik, the Munich Philharmonic has developed a comprehensive music education program for young and old. As many as 35,000 people of all ages have attended the more than 150 events held each year.

On October 13, 2018, the Munich Philharmonic celebrated its 125th anniversary. In October 2021, the philharmonic inaugurated the Isarphilharmonie—the orchestra’s new home and concert hall while the Gasteig is being renovated. The hall was designed by architects Gerkan, Marg und Partner, with acoustics by Yasuhisa Toyota and his company Nagata Acoustics.

In March 2022, Lahav Shani conducted Munich’s benefit concert for Ukraine at the Isarphilharmonie with Anne-Sophie Mutter and three orchestras: the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and Munich Philharmonic. He returned to the Munich Philharmonic for a concert series in Munich and Switzerland in September 2022. In February 2023, the Munich Philharmonic appointed Mr. Shani its new chief conductor, starting in September 2026.

Zubin Mehta was born in 1936 in Mumbai and began his music education with his father, Mehli Mehta, who was a noted concert violinist and the founder of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. In 1954, after brief pre-medical studies in Mumbai, he left for Vienna, and by 1961, he had conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker, Vienna Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; he recently celebrated 50 years of musical collaboration with all three ensembles.

Mr. Mehta served as music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (1961–1967), Los Angeles Philharmonic (1962–1978), New York Philharmonic (1978–1991), and Bayerische Staatsoper (1998–2006). In 2019, he celebrated his farewell from the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, which he had served for 50 years, and was named music director emeritus. From 1985 to 2017, he was chief conductor of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Italy. In 2004, the Munich Philharmonic named Mr. Mehta the first conductor laureate in the history of the orchestra.

Mr. Mehta’s list of awards and honors is extensive and includes the Nikisch ring, bequeathed to him by Karl Böhm; the Praemium Imperiale from the Japanese imperial family; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany; the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony in India; and Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia. He is an honorary citizen of both Florence and Tel Aviv, and an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Vienna’s Musikverein. In 2022, the new concert hall of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino was named after him.

Mr. Mehta continues to support the discovery and furtherance of musical talent all over the world. With his brother Zarin, he is a co-chairman of the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation in Mumbai, where more than 200 children are educated in Western classical music. In Tel Aviv, the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music develops young talent and is closely related to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, as is a project that educates young Arab Israelis in the cities of Shwaram and Nazareth.

Internationally recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists, Yefim Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors, and recital series. His commanding technique, power, and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike.

Following summer festival appearances in Verbier, Israel, Aspen, Grand Teton, and Sun Valley, he began the season with a European tour that celebrated the auspicious 500th anniversary of the Bayerische Staatsoper and Staatsorchester with concerts in Lucerne, Bucharest, London, Paris, Linz, Vienna, and Munich. With Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, he visits Japan and South Korea followed by return engagements with the New York Philharmonic; Boston, National, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras; Kansas City and San Francisco symphonies; and Minnesota Orchestra. Performing both Brahms concertos with the Munich Philharmonic, he travels to Spain and Carnegie Hall followed by European engagements with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. An extensive winter-spring recital tour begins in Ljubljana and includes Milan, Berlin, Cleveland, Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and La Jolla, culminating in an appearance at Carnegie Hall in early May.

Born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union, Mr. Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, and he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, under Rudolf Firkušný, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. A 2010 recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, one of the highest honors given to American instrumentalists, he was further honored as the recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane prize in piano performance from Northwestern University and in 2015 with an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.