Metamorphosen Berlin

The string orchestra Metamorphosen Berlin assembles leading chamber and symphonic musicians from throughout Germany along with prizewinners from global contests. Its designation derives from Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen, scored for 23 solo strings and nearly matching the ensemble’s roster of 26 performers.

Cellist Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and violinist Indira Koch established the group in 2010; he continues to serve as its leader and conductor while she functions as artistic director. Members are drawn from prominent Berlin ensembles and include laureates and finalists from the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the International Lutoslawski Competition in Warsaw, and the International Music Competition in Bayreuth. The orchestra maintains a standing residency at the International Music Festival in Goslar, Germany, and has performed in Spain and Switzerland in addition to numerous German locations. Although it lacks a permanent base, it curates its own concert series at the Konzerthaus Berlin, appears regularly in the Philharmonie Berlin Kammermusiksaal, and presents a dedicated program at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

Contemporary repertoire figures prominently in its programming, with world premieres of pieces by Helmut Abel and Sören Nils Eichberg among its achievements. Signed to Sony Classical, the ensemble released its first recording, Inspiration, in 2015, containing works by Dvořák, Victor Herbert, and Josef Suk. The follow-up album Tchaikovsky: Serenade appeared in 2017 and received the Melomano de Oro award in Spain. In 2021 the orchestra returned to Sony Classical with Very British, surveying music by Elgar, Britten, Peter Warlock, and Karl Jenkins.