2025/26 Season Opening at Philharmonie Berlin

About the Event

Sir Simon Rattle was enthusiastic from the outset: “The founding of this orchestra is a deeply necessary idea.” Founded in 2015, the Chineke! Orchestra has set itself the goal of promoting cultural diversity in classical music. The name of the ensemble is derived from the Nigerian Igbo language and means “God, the creator of the world and of good.” ‘Chineke’ is also exclaimed when something amazing happens and is equivalent to our expression “Wow!”

It is the first professional orchestra in Europe to consist predominantly of musicians from ethnically diverse backgrounds and to include underrepresented composers in its repertoire alongside standard works of classical music.