Hof Symphony Orchestra
Culture and education in harmony
Another cultural beacon that radiates far beyond the region's borders has been the Hof Symphony Orchestra since 1945: a cultural and educational enterprise with a professional orchestra that unites 62 musicians from 19 nations.
Almost every month, on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., one of the popular subscription concerts of the Hofer Symphoniker takes place in the Festival Hall of the Freiheitshalle, for which - if you are quick enough - you can also purchase tickets on the open market as a non-subscriber. Conductors and soloists of the Hofer Symphoniker belong to the ranks of internationally celebrated classical music stars.
In addition to varied classical programs that combine well-known and unknown works from the Baroque to the present, the Hof Symphony Orchestra, together with bands and musical groups from the region, also repeatedly breaks new stylistic ground with crossover concert projects such as "Amadeus rocks!" or "Let it be(at)!". In addition, they regularly introduce young musicians to classical music in children's concerts.
They play around 65 symphony concerts a year and regularly accompany singers such as José Carreras, Elina Garanca and Jonas Kaufmann at the Thurn-und-Taxis Castle Festival in Regensburg. Guest appearances take the orchestra to the major concert halls in Germany. In addition, as a permanent cooperation partner, the Hof Symphony Orchestra performs in all operas, operettas, musicals and ballets at the Hof Theater from the orchestra pit.
In addition, the Hof Symphony Orchestra has operated its own music and art school since 1978, the only professional orchestra in Germany to do so. Students at the music school are taught by active musicians from the orchestra's own ranks. The Hofer Symphoniker is the musical center of the Hochfranken region in the areas of orchestra and youth and adult education. The exceptionally high level of teaching is demonstrated not least by the annual successes of the symphony's students up to the national level in the "Jugend musiziert" competition.
The administration and music school of the Hof Symphony are located in the center of Hof in the striking red brick building at Klosterstraße 9-11, while the painting school and several other classrooms and a concert hall are housed in the neighboring Haus der Musik at Karolinenstraße 19. Since the end of 2018, the newly created KlangManufaktur with orchestra and student practice rooms as well as a concert hall that seats 100 listeners has also enriched not only the work of the symphony orchestra, but also Hof's cityscape: between the Freiheitshalle and the theater, the Klangmanufaktur completes the cultural axis on Kulmbacher Straße.
