Bach Collegium München

Orchestra

The Bach Collegium Münchenis an independent, privately run orchestra with an international reputation. It was founded in the 1973/74 concert season from master class students of the Munich Academy of Music and Theater under the direction of conductor Christian Kabitz. The solo violinist Florian Sonnleitner first became concertmaster before replacing Kabitz as the orchestra's artistic director in 1979. In the years that followed, numerous members of the Bach Collegium München were given leading positions in the three major symphony orchestras of the musical metropolis of Munich, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic. As Artistic Director, Florian Sonnleitner has now passed the job into younger hands in 2020. In the wake of the corona pandemic, the orchestra sees an essential cultural task in giving outstanding freelance musicians the opportunity of a publicly recognized podium.