Recap: The Berliner Philharmoniker’s 10th Visit to Ann Arbor

By UMS

Berliner Philharmoniker in Hill Auditorium, November 2024. Photo by Rob Davidson

The Berliner Philharmoniker has a rich history of performances in Hill Auditorium dating back to 1955 — the first year the orchestra ever toured the United States. Their return this November marked the Philharmoniker’s milestone 10th visit to Ann Arbor, and included extensive opportunities for audience and community engagement on and off the stage. 

Revisit a remarkable week of performances and events:

Unique Among Orchestras

The Berliner Philharmoniker flew into Ann Arbor from Boston on Friday, November 22. That evening, UMS and the School of Music, Theatre & Dance held a free panel discussion with leadership from the Philharmoniker’s musicians and administrative staff. Together, they discussed what makes the Berliner unique among orchestras, including its governing structure, innovative educational and research initiatives, and the flagship Digital Concert Hall.

Panel discussion on U-M North Campus. Photo by Rob Davidson

Panelists included:

• Andrea Zietzschmann, Berliner Philharmoniker general manager
• Stefan Dohr, horn player and orchestra board member
• Katja Frei, director of education
• Olaf Maninger, principal cellist, and board member and general manager of Berlin Phil Media GmbH

The discussion was moderated by Kate Cagney, Director of the Institute for Social Research at U-M, with guest Shinobu Kitayama, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Culture & Cognition Program at U-M.

A Day of Learning on Campus

Horn masterclass led by Sarah Willis. Photo by Rob Davidson

Throughout the day Saturday, members of the Berliner Philharmoniker led more than a dozen different masterclasses with students from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance. All events were free and open for the public to observe.

Clarinet masterclass led by Wenzel Fuchs. Photo by Rob Davidson

Cello masterclass led by Knut Weber. Photo by Rob Davidson

Trombone masterclass led by Jesper Busk Sørensen. Photo by Rob Davidson

Visiting Another Iconic Venue

Hill Auditorium is spectacular, but there’s another can’t-miss venue when visiting the University of Michigan campus…

Photo by Mark Jacobson

UMS president Matthew VanBesien welcomed our colleagues from the Berliner Philharmoniker to the Big House for the Michigan vs. Northwestern football game!

A Special Welcome Home

After the game, the Berliner Philharmoniker performed the first of two sold-out performances in Hill Auditorium. It was a joy to welcome soloist Benjamin Beilman back to Ann Arbor in a breathtaking performance of Korngold’s violin concerto, and he graciously treated audiences to an encore from J.S. Bach’s third violin sonata.

Standing ovation for violinist Benjamin Beilman and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Photo by Rob Davidson

No stranger to UMS and Ann Arbor, Beilman attended Community High School, where as a freshman he performed in the very first Neutral Zone / UMS collaboration Breakin’ Curfew in 2005! He is now one of the leading violinists of his generation and one of the youngest artists ever appointed to the faculty of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music.

Chief conductor Kirill Petrenko brilliantly led the Philharmoniker throughout the evening, framed by Rachmaninoff’s hauntingly beautiful Rachmaninoff ‘Isle of the Dead’ and Dvořâk’s Symphony No. 7.

Berliner Philharmoniker chief conductor Kirill Petrenko. Photo by Rob Davidson

Photo by Rob Davidson

Sound of Science Day

On Sunday, UMS and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum presented a special opportunity to explore the science of sound. A brass quartet from the Berliner Philharmoniker and two ensembles from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance — a string quartet and a flute/percussion duo — each gave three short performances, allowing kids to explore how different sounds work.

A brass quartet from the Berliner Philharmoniker performs for kids at the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. Photo by Peter Smith

Additional hands-on activities were led by UMS 21st Century Intern Renata Rangel, who spent this past summer working in Berlin with the Philharmoniker’s education team. An instrument “petting zoo” was kindly provided by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.

Music Meets Medicine

Katja Frei, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s director of education, joined Medical Arts at Michigan for a discussion on a joint research project. Launched in 2001, Creativity During Pregnancy aims to learn how creative interventions like music can significantly reduce maternal stress factors.

A Rare Gem: Bruckner’s Fifth

On Sunday afternoon, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Ann Arbor visit came to a triumphant close in Hill Auditorium. Chief conductor Kirill Petrenko masterfully led Bruckner’s fifth symphony — a rarely performed treasure, presented in a timely celebration of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

A standing ovation after Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5. Photo by Rob Davidson

In a glowing review of the Philharmoniker’s performance in Carnegie Hall last week, The New York Times remarked that “The orchestra’s agility is such that it can shift from pummeling roar to shining chorale to turbulence to hush, each turn precise and graceful.”

Our Ann Arbor audience, in an extended standing ovation, most certainly concurred.

Thank You to All Our Supporters

We thank all of our sponsors for their incredible generosity in support of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Ann Arbor visit on their 2024 US Tour.

Title Sponsors

Menakka and Essel Bailey
Howard Bond
Richard Caldarazzo and Eileen Weiser

Presenting Sponsor

Principal Sponsors

Emily Bandera
Laura Chang and Arnold Chavkin
James and Nancy Stanley
Shaomeng Wang and Ju-Yun Li

Supporting Sponsors

Charles and Julia Eisendrath
Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Morelock

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s residency is funded in part by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan