Composer

More than a pianist, Hayato Sumino is a phenomenon. Known on YouTube as “Cateen,” the Japanese musician has earned tens of millions of views for his captivating interpretations of classical masterworks and original compositions. A semi-finalist at the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition, he has reignited interest in the iconic composer. In his highly anticipated Symphony Center debut, Sumino performs works by Chopin, Bach and Ravel, alongside his own evocative pieces, including New Birth and Recollection.

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Hayato Sumino

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Drive and Power:
Grażyna Bacewicz is not only one of Poland's greatest composers, she was also an outstanding violinist, serving as concertmaster of the Polish Radio Orchestra in the years before World War II and performing throughout Europe in the postwar period. This skill and experience are evident in Bacewicz's Uwertura in every one of its gripping seven minutes: an orchestral firework whose drive and power effortlessly surpasses many of its more famous (male) competitors.

1. Congress Park Symphony 2025/2026

Congress Park Hanau

We're delighted to welcome back Mannes alum A Bu to The New School for a recital as part of the Mannes Summer Piano Festival!

A Bu Piano Concert

The New School University Center

The Louisville Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Teddy Abrams, will present a celebratory mix of classical and contemporary pieces. From beloved summer classics like Vivaldi’s “Summer,” and “The Star Spangled Banner” to crowd favorites like John Williams’ “Main Title” from Star Wars and Tchaikovsky’s “Finale” from 1812 Overture, Op. 49, there’s something for the whole family in this summertime celebration.

Play America

River Ridge

This lighthearted matinee featuring everything from classical to pop will make the walls at the venerable Semper Oper shake! The exceptional all-round musician Friedrich Gulda, who passed away in 2000, wrote a five-movement Concerto for Cello and Brass Ensemble, which he dedicated to Heinrich Schiff in 1980. It begins in a funky rock tone and ends with an Alpine folk melody. The solo part will be played by Jan Vogler, not only the Intendant of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele and an outstanding cellist, but also a former student of Heinrich Schiff, bringing matters full circle.

 Vogler – Berlin Philharmonic Brass – Handler

Semperoper Dresden

Four saxophones fill rooms. Their sound is rich, loud, and colorful. As a mini big band, they can replace an orchestra, and that's exactly what they do here. You can hear cello concertos and orchestral works arranged for cello, piano, and saxophone quartet. Schwetzingen artist in residence Raphaela Gromes takes on the string part, arranger Julian Riem sits at the grand piano, and the four spirited wind players of the Signum Saxophone Quartet, founded in 2016, ensure that the music not only sounds beautiful, but also explodes at times. For example, when the forest witch Baba Yaga swings herself on her broom in Anatoly Lyadov's tone poem. During the long clarinet glissando at the beginning of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue . In Bernstein's groovy Mambo . Or during the musical shared apartment of rock, jazz, Vivaldi, and Schubert in Friedrich Gulda's Cello Concerto. As one of the Signum musicians once said: “You have to give the audience your whole heart, your whole soul.” Trigger warning: You might leave the concert hall dancing.

Raphaela Gromes · Julian Riem · Signum Saxophone Quartet

Rococo Theater

Old? New! March 2025 will mark the 150th anniversary of the premiere of Bizet's Carmen . It is still probably the most popular of all operas - a hit album made up of countless immortal hits. And the two concert suites present these hits in interrupted order. Old? New! At the podium: audience favorite Gordon Hamilton, the Australian who has chosen to live in Berlin, who, as always when he comes to us, is also bringing a brand new work of his own to the premiere: A Golden Thread , a golden thread that gradually weaves through the string orchestra. In contrast, the most original cello concerto in music history will be played before the break - that of the piano-playing and composing "enfant terrible" Friedrich Gulda. His concerto for cello and wind orchestra is a unique musical surprise package that explodes when opened, setting off musical sparks. From big band blues to church fair music, everything is included! The fireworks of punchlines are set off by the German star cellist Raphaela Gromes, who enchanted our audience in 2023 with the concert by Frederick Delius.

Bizet's Carmen And Gromes On The Cello

Meistersingerhalle

To celebrate the Super Bowl, join the Olympia Symphony for an exciting musical matchup: Beethoven vs. Gulda! Featuring the talented cellist Nathan Chan, this concert pits the classic elegance of Beethoven against the dynamic flair of Gulda. Experience the thrill of these two musical powerhouses in a captivating performance that showcases both tradition and innovation. Don’t miss this unique event where music and competition meet!

Beethoven vs. Gulda

Washington Center for the Performing Arts

Olympia Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven vs. Gulda

Washington Center Main Stage

20th century master Bela Bartók’s Romanian Dances and 19th century French composer, Ernst Chausson’s Symphony bookend this concert, with cellist, Nathan Chan, performing the sensational Cello Concerto by Friedrich Gulda between this musical sandwich.

Bartok & Chausson

Edmonds Center For the Arts

Uplifting tunes and exuberant rhythms abound in this concert of epic proportions. Following an immersive opener by Maestro Segal, the incredible principal cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra, Mark Kosower, will perform Friedrich Gulda’s Cello Concerto, a wild and catchy work described by the composer as “jazz, a minuet, rock, a smidgen of polka, and a march.” On the second half, Tchaikovsky’s monumental and heroic Fifth Symphony paints the ultimate picture of victory over strife. From the lush orchestration to the soaring melodies, you won’t want this concert to end!

Rocking Tchaikovsky

Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts

Uplifting tunes and exuberant rhythms abound in this concert of epic proportions. Following a lively opener by Maestro Segal, the incredible principal cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra, Mark Kosower, will perform Friedrich Gulda’s Cello Concerto, a wild and catchy work described by the composer as “jazz, a minuet, rock, a smidgen of polka, and a march.” On the second half, Tchaikovsky’s monumental and heroic Fifth Symphony paints the ultimate picture of victory over strife. From the lush orchestration to the soaring melodies, you won’t want this concert to end!

Salina Symphony Presents Rocking Tchaikovsky

Start your New Year's Eve fireworks in a musical way with us in the Great Hall - with the Konzerthausorchester, our chief conductor Joana Mallwitz, cello soloist Nicolas Altstaedt and festive and cheerful orchestral pieces from Johann Strauss' rousing Fledermaus Overture to Antonín Dvořák's turbulent “Carnival” and Ottorino Respighi's tone poem “Roman Festivals”.

New Year's concert

Kleiner Saal

»I love conducting so much that I absolutely have to do it.« Ruth Reinhardt realised this when she was 16 and her career today proves her right. Born in Saarbrücken, she completed her studies in Zurich, Leipzig and New York – and is now one of the up-and-coming female conductors who regularly perform with orchestras around the world. The young artist is especially praised for her versatility, her dynamic performances, her musical intelligence and her unorthodox choice of works. Her Bamberg debut is also a proof of this, as she leads us through some exciting repertoire: two pieces by Paul Hindemith – a modern composer who is particularly favoured by our guest conductor – set the scene. His provocative Ragtime from 1921 combines a Bach fugue with jazz elements, while the symphony »Mathis der Maler« portrays the inner and outer struggles of an eminent Renaissance artist in a colourful way. In between, the musical journey goes back 150 years to the Viennese classical period: to the time of Haydn, who liked to combine the highest standards with humour and popular elements in his symphonies. At the request of our solo cellist Marius Urba, a concerto for cello and wind orchestra composed in 1980 will also be performed, a wild ride through various genres: it was written by Friedrich Gulda, who was regarded as an enfant terrible in the classical music business. The audience is in for a colourful concert with a wide variety of ingredients and flavours. But as Ruth Reinhardt once said about her musical experiments, which might just come from a hot and sizzling witch’s kitchen – and have become her trademark: »I always like concert programmes that have contrasts!«

Ruth Reinhardt, Marius Urba

Bamberg Concert Hall

The baton is the instrument of the star conductor – and can easily go missing: Be it due to damage, as in Toscanini's infamous tantrums – or simply by mistake. This was the case with Joana Mallwitz, who once hurled her baton into the audience. With a pencil, she then continued happily through the score. Whether with or without a baton, the debut of this sympathetic artist is eagerly awaited. At a young age, the score of Schubert's »Unfinished« was her »favourite book« and the initial spark for her career ambitions. She found her studies »heavenly«, became Europe’s youngest female General Music Director at the age of 27 and is now the new Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, succeeding Christoph Eschenbach. She loves to put together programmes based on dramaturgical considerations and gut feeling – and always explores them with her own personal signature. Her typical, cleverly and lovingly composed blend of recipes between the familiar and the new are like exciting expeditions. For Bamberg, her musical menu includes dance pieces: It starts with the lively momentum of the 1985 work »The Chair-man Dances« by John Adams. Pablo Ferrández is the soloist in Dvořák’s cello concerto, which has to do with the composer’s great childhood love – and Rachmaninov wrote a heartbreaking song of tears with his »Symphonic Dances«. We can truly look forward to Joana Mallwitz’s inquisitive gaze: she is known for her combination of glowing passion and technical precision – and for her willingness to take risks, because: »Music always saves you! That’s why it’s the best thing you can do!«

Guest in Fulda

Fulda City Palace

Guest in Erlangen

Heinrich-Lades-Halle

Join us at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana, for a mesmerizing performance titled "Mozart and the Misfits" on October 31, 2024, at 11:00 am. This unique concert promises an unforgettable blend of funk beats, jazz, wit, and classicism, showcasing the incredible talents of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's beloved Principal Cellist, Austin Huntington. Experience the virtuosic Cello Concerto by Freidrich Gulda, a piece that transports the audience through a variety of scenes, from a pastoral Austrian vista to a Viennese court and a manic dance club. 

Under the artistic leadership of Assistant Conductor Su-Han Yang, the program also features Schnittke’s "Moz-Art à la Haydn," a playful and subversive tribute to the past masters, and Mozart’s great Linz Symphony, which will restore your bearings with its classical beauty. 

Tickets for this captivating event go on sale starting July 22, 2024. Don't miss your chance to witness the fusion of classical music with unexpected twists and turns. Buy your tickets early and plan your visit to the Hilbert Circle Theatre for an extraordinary musical journey with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Mozart and the Misfits

Hilbert Circle Theatre

Mozart & Gulda

University of California San Diego

What happened to the pop music of the past? Once upon a time, polkas, waltzes, and guitar solos reigned supreme (though not at the same time!). Come join Parlando as we explore what happened to the popular music genres of the past, and how they have been immortalized in classical music. 
Featuring cellist Henry Shapard performing Friedrich Gulda’s uproarious Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra, the concert also includes Henryk Górecki’s Kleines Requiem für eine Polka and Jacques Ibert’s Divertissement.

Parlando: Requiem for a Polka

Kaufman Music Center

Embark on a musical odyssey that embraces the past through a modern lens! Opening with Valerie Coleman’s 2021 “Fanfare for Uncommon Times”, this program presents new takes on old ideas. Gulda’s rhythmic “Cello Concerto” runs the gamut of musical styles from Renaissance Dance to Rock and Roll, German Ländler to big band jazz, and everything in between! “Oiseaux bleus et sauvages” (Birds Blue and Wild), Morlock’s playful take on birdsong, embodies a sense of mysticism. And pioneering American composer Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2 “Romantic” combines power and tenderness reminiscent of 19th century Romanticism.

Past And Present Sounds

Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center

In the festive atmosphere of Wiesbaden's Kurhaus, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) traditionally welcomes the new year with an entertaining and artistically first-class program – this time under the direction of the young Belarusian conductor Vitali Alekseenok. Alongside the well-known overture "The Bartered Bride" by Bedřich Smetana, the "Wiesbaden Master Concerts" will also feature the unconventional Cello Concerto by Friedrich Gulda, performed by the internationally acclaimed young cellist Anastasia Kobekina, as well as Zoltán Kodály's "Dances of Galánta" and Maurice Ravel's "La valse."

New Year's Concert Wiesbaden

Kurhaus Wiesbaden GmbH

California Symphony performs excerpts from Mozart’s brilliantly witty and melody-filled Don Giovanni in an arrangement for the Harmoniemusik of Mozart’s day, when bands of wind players would roam the streets of Vienna to promote coming attractions.

Schubert in Vienna

Lesher Center for the Arts

Clemens Schuldt invites us to come in jeans to this concert without musical boundaries, where classical music opens up to other styles and is aimed at everyone! As a preamble, Brahms transcends the academic argument of his Overture Op. 80 , intended for the anniversary of the University of Heidelberg, to draw us into a romantic universe where rejoicing and lyricism coexist. The German virtuoso cellist, Julian Steckel, radically changes tone with the electrifying Concerto by Friedrich Gulda, a "rock concerto" composed in the "Seventies" at the request of Rostropovich.

An American in Paris

Grand Théâtre de Québec

Music has a way of settling in our bodies, and the program this evening is guaranteed to make it bubble in every cell. Dvořák's early masterpiece, Serenade for Strings, helped open the doors to the sacred halls of music for the young composer and is a work that is bursting with zest for life, youthful courage, joy and faith in the future – music that is also an opportunity for our wonderful string corps to really sharpen their bows and interplay, undisturbed by noisy colleagues.

Composer

Friedrich Gulda

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 1, 2026

New Year's Concert Wiesbaden · Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

24 - 25 Jan, 2026

Schubert in Vienna · Lesher Center for the Arts

22 - 23 Apr, 2026

An American in Paris · Orchestre Symphonique de Québec

Sep 3, 2026

Dvořák & Gulda's Cello Concert · Odense Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Nov 16, 2025

Hayato Sumino · Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Oct 18, 2025

1. Congress Park Symphony 2025/2026 · Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt

About

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