Out of conviction
The Basel Chamber Orchestra does not require much, but it requires enough.
If you had asked an Egyptian three thousand years ago whether music should be subsidised by the state, he would have answered yes without hesitation.
Music was literally part of everything that accompanied social life at that time: processions and family celebrations, birthdays and funerals would have been unthinkable without harps and frame drums, choir conductors and professional mourners. Making music was the quintessence of a proverbial ‘beautiful day’.
The same is probably true for us in Basel. For us, too, music is a cultural staple. Although our musical tastes vary according to age and socialisation, no one would think of not considering music to be ‘systemically important’, as we have known since the pandemic at the latest.
This applies to the Basel Chamber Orchestra, which aims to be a musical beacon in the Basel region and promote social cohesion.
But unlike the ancient Egyptian musicians, who were all paid from the pharaoh's coffers, the Basel Chamber Orchestra is largely self-financed. And in our liberal, non-pyramidal world view, that is more than astonishing.
Nevertheless, with such an important ambassador of humanistic values, which seem more endangered today than ever, our political community cannot completely ignore it.
A sufficient contribution from the public sector is therefore not only a recognition of the concert and operational achievements of the Basel Chamber Orchestra for the region in which it is based, but also a sign of its commitment to the socially relevant influence that the Basel Chamber Orchestra carries here and there throughout the world. So far, this has not been (too) much... but unfortunately not (yet) quite enough.
Prof. em. Dr. Dr. h.c. Antonio Loprieno, Member of the Board of the Basel Chamber Orchestra Association
Podcast (in German)
The Basel Chamber Orchestra is not only something to be heard, but also something to be experienced.
This ensemble is more than just a workplace: it is a place where we breathe, listen, rub shoulders and grow together.
The aim is not only to play beautifully, but to penetrate the music internally and make every conceivable emotion tangible – for ourselves and our audience. Routine alone or technical skill are not enough. We need to be able to engage in inner dialogue with ourselves and our colleagues. Only what we ourselves hear can be shared with our audience and touch our innermost being. That is why we are constantly searching for tonal relevance. Only in this way can our concerts become an experience and not just a listening pleasure.
Georg Dettweiler, cello
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The Basel Chamber Orchestra turns old into new
For us, innovation is not just a buzzword, but an attitude driven by curiosity and the urge for constant renewal.
Depending on the repertoire, we deliberately choose baroque, classical or modern instruments. This diversity is an explicit part of our musical identity. Our sound is permeable, agile and transparent, but also pulsating and full of energy. This is evident in concert halls, but also in educational and inclusion projects or in our attempts to create new concert formats.
Whether music flows through a classroom or the REHAB Basel, when it traverses rooms at ‘Don Bosco's Garden’ or combines improvisation, electronics, dance, painting and performance at ‘Nachtklang Experimental’. We see ‘our’ orchestra as a space that enables responsibility, change and artistic freedom. Tradition lives on when you question it.
Stefan Preyer, solo double bass
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The Basel Chamber Orchestra also plays without a conductor.
Podcast (in German)
Playing without a conductor is not just an exceptional situation! It reflects an attitude.
In the Basel Chamber Orchestra, this way of making music has become part of our identity: listening to each other and seeing each other. And breathing together. This is not just an option, but a conditio sine qua non! As a bassoonist, you learn that a glance, a breath or a small movement from a colleague can mean just as much as a baton. In such moments, music is not conducted, but carried together. When everything is right, the orchestra becomes a living organism. Playing without a conductor means more responsibility for everyone. But this commitment also creates freedom, space for creativity and initiative. Every voice and every mood counts. The music guides us and our trust in each other is the strongest impulse.
Claudio Matteo Severi, bassoon
The Basel Chamber Orchestra performs at home, but also all over the world.
Since its inception, the Basel Chamber Orchestra has been on a mission to bring its programmes to the world, particularly to neighbouring European countries and Switzerland.
The ambition was inspired by the concept of offering the music world something unique in the field of global concert performances. The aim was to set up projects that would be more than just successful in Basel, but also in Rome, Paris and Vienna. Even the first concert abroad at the Ludwigsburg Castle Concerts in 1997 was considered a great honour for those involved. As a cellist, orchestra member and managing director until 2012, the task was to produce audibly moving concerts and gradually build up a network of concert organisers, festivals and foreign agencies. Today, this network forms the basis for part of the Basel Chamber Orchestra's business model. Without the deliberately formed partnerships with a global clientele, many of the orchestra's concert projects would be unfeasible or questionable, because the ambition to play internationally is an important motivation for the Basel Chamber Orchestra's raison d'être.
Christoph Müller, artistic delegate and concert manager
Podcast (in German)
The Basel Chamber Orchestra is more than just an orchestra
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Is it concerts with high-profile soloists and conductors, unusual concert programmes, motivated musicians, particularly good international concert and recording reviews, or is it musical excellence that makes an orchestra successful as a business?
It is probably the combination of all these characteristics that makes the Basel Chamber Orchestra what it is today. But it is not the individual concert or the outstanding performance alone. The continuous charisma, the consistency of conscious action and the high resonance from the concerts and the media in Basel and elsewhere are reflected above all in the entrepreneurial and artistic self-image of the Basel Chamber Orchestra: with new ideas and partnerships, with sustainable operational structures between local roots and international exchange. And last but not least, it is also about proving social relevance through music, especially in an increasingly uncertain and more than turbulent world. This creates an impact that extends far beyond the concert hall.
Beat Oberlin, President of the Basel Chamber Orchestra Association
The Basel Chamber Orchestra rehearses a lot and plays often.
‘We didn't rehearse much today,’ I tell my son when we've only had a three-hour rehearsal. For us, rehearsing a lot doesn't mean constantly repeating ourselves.
It means keeping your ears open, responding sensitively, constantly taking risks and working together to find solutions. If we succeed in doing that, it doesn't necessarily take six hours or more. What we create in the rehearsal room usually already has the spark of a concert in it. Making music doesn't just begin on stage. We play often – yes, we do! – not only in Basel, but all over the world: Vienna, Paris, Istanbul, why not São Paulo too! Playing often means more than just sitting down together after a concert to refine a live recording. Or tackling new works the next morning with the instrument under your chin again, because the next concert won't wait.
This is the only way to achieve the precision, special sound culture and joy of playing that are part of who we are. Rehearsing a lot and playing often are one and the same thing.
Tamás Vásárhelyi, violin
Podcast (in German)
The Basel Chamber Orchestra plays a wide variety of music for a wide variety of audiences.
Podcast (in German)
We play music from all centuries: Bach and Rihm, early music and world premieres.
We play works that move, surprise, challenge and inspire, and sometimes bring a smile to your face or even a tear to your eye. We play in concert halls, classrooms, multi-purpose halls, rehabilitation centres, museums and in the open air, in a wide variety of locations around the world... but also in our home city of Basel. We play for children and young people, for senior citizens, for people of all ages. We play for our audience in our ‘taster sessions’ and then in our concerts, where we have been able to count them among our loyal fans and friends for years. In front of them, we can prove that music connects people across generations, walks of life and cultural differences. And this includes our diversity, which has been tried and tested in every respect. Sometimes we play in a chamber music formation as part of an educational project, sometimes we tour as a small baroque ensemble, and sometimes as a large symphony orchestra. For us, ‘a lot for a lot of people’ means being open, staying curious, daring to try new things, and never losing sight of quality and artistic depth.
Mirjam Steymans, violin
The Basel Chamber Orchestra is a good partner and has many friends.
The Basel Chamber Orchestra and its circle of friends form a partnership based on reliability and friendship.
This close connection shows how deeply rooted the Basel Chamber Orchestra is in its community. Mutual trust, friendship and the pursuit of musical excellence unite those involved on an artistic level. But the Basel Chamber Orchestra is also a relevant partner in the music scene of the Basel region for its sponsors, supporters and audience. Many long-standing companions, institutions and private sponsors confirm this through their many years of commitment. In the circle of friends, personal encounters with the musicians, with their ever-present empathy for music and their orchestra, are not only appreciated but also received with great interest. And this goes far beyond the normal scope, because the concerts of the Basel Chamber Orchestra always represent both musical enrichment and a cultural experience in particular. The Friends' Association in particular shows how a shared vision brings people together – and how support can lead to genuine cooperation. The Basel Chamber Orchestra is a strong partner with many friends. There is nothing to add to Nietzsche's statement that ‘a life without music would be a mistake’.
Dorothee Widmer, President of the Friends' Association of the Basel Chamber Orchestra
Podcast (in German)
The Basel Chamber Orchestra is both independent and autonomous.
Podcast (in German)
As an independent orchestra ensemble without a principal conductor or institutional affiliation, we see ourselves as innovative and flexible.
This characteristic allows us to make artistic decisions freely and realise our own projects with high standards. We do not follow a rigid tradition in our sound, but develop our own style that combines historically informed performance practice with contemporary interpretation.
Flat hierarchies and shared responsibility, particularly for artistic programming, promote creative processes and a special identification of all of us with our orchestra. The significance of the Basel Chamber Orchestra model lies in this balance between independence as an institution and autonomy in artistic expression.
Regula Schär, violin
The Basel Chamber Orchestra achieves a great deal and undertakes even more
Part of our business model is that the Basel Chamber Orchestra always does a little bit more: more playing, more rehearsing, more travelling.
At the same time, it means thinking outside the box and constantly taking risks. That was the case 25 years ago, when the musicians earned their first international spurs with great personal and financial commitment. And it is still the case today, when we change our perspective in our work with young musicians or communicate with our audience in a different way than others.
The role of the management is to drive, inspire and motivate. It is consistently committed to the further development of this team-led orchestra. This applies to the structure of musicians, guest artists, partner institutions, sponsors and audiences, which is constantly challenged by promising but also necessary plans for tomorrow and the day after. This internal and external network of relationships forms the basis for our musical spirit of discovery and our entrepreneurial self-image.
This necessarily means that the risk is greater than the intended security. It is a commitment to what constitutes the core of the Basel Chamber Orchestra's existence.
Marcel Falk, Director of the Basel Chamber Orchestra
Podcast (in German)