New generation at the helm of the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt (BSOF): Felix Mildenberger is to become the new Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Brandenburg's only A-list orchestra. He succeeds Jörg-Peter Weigle,whose contract ends with the 2024/25 season.
Felix Mildenberger will take up his post as General Music Director on August 1, 2026. He prevailed against 120 applicants. In an internal orchestra vote, the musicians of the BSOF voted for the 35-year-old by a large majority. This vote was followed by the selection committee, in which the orchestra, artistic director Roland Ott, the city of Frankfurt (Oder) as the orchestra's sponsor and the state of Brandenburg are each represented with one vote. The election of the search committee was confirmed by the Main and Ordinance Committee of the City of Frankfurt (Oder) on July 14, 2025.
"It is a great pleasure and honor for me to take over the artistic direction of the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt from the 2026/27 season. My heartfelt thanks go to the orchestra, the city of Frankfurt (Oder) and all those responsible for their trust," said Felix Mildenberger after signing the contract on 15 July.
Culture Minister Dr. Manja Schüle welcomed the decision: "Full of energy, modern and keen to experiment: Felix Mildenberger is a multiple award-winning conductor who has already worked with numerous renowned German and international orchestras. In short: the best for the BSOF! I am certain that the new General Music Director will breathe new life into the artistic courage and innovative formats for which our State Orchestra is known. Felix Mildenberger is not only one of the 'Maestros of Tomorrow' - for the BSOF he is the 'Maestro of Today'. I am already looking forward to the concerts under his direction and wish him every success!"
Claus Junghanns, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt (Oder): "I welcome Felix Mildenberger to our city of Frankfurt (Oder) and am delighted that the orchestra and also the selection committee have chosen him. Felix Mildenberger has already impressed Frankfurt audiences and our Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt with his skills in recent years. His musical sensitivity and artistic energy have been convincing and increase the anticipation of his work as General Music Director of our renowned orchestra. The BSOF is a flagship of our city and the state of Brandenburg and is of outstanding importance beyond the borders of Frankfurt (Oder) and the Oderland-Spree region. Together with the entire city community, I am looking forward to Felix Mildenberger's work and the priorities he will set in the coming years."
BSOF Director Roland Ott: "Felix Mildenberger has impressed me greatly with his precise, subtle and very musical conducting and excellent interaction with the orchestra. I am looking forward to a promising collaboration with a GMD of the younger generation, who can further develop and shape the great artistic potential of the Staatsorchester with new ideas, a great deal of enthusiasm, sound experience and a sure sense of sound."
The new GMD and Brandenburg's largest symphony orchestra already know each other from previous projects.
"I was impressed by the BSOF's sound, energy and joy of music-making from the very first time we worked together," recalls the new GMD. "I'm looking forward to discovering new repertoire together, developing innovative formats for audiences in Frankfurt, Potsdam and the region, and continuing to develop the BSOF as a lively, accessible cultural institution - with local roots and international appeal."
In September, Felix Mildenberger will introduce himself to the press as the new GMD of the BSOF at the State Chancellery in Potsdam in the presence of Brandenburg's Minister of Culture, Dr. Manja Schüle, and explain his new programmatic approaches.
He can already be experienced with the BSOF in the 2025/26 season. On March 27, 2026, he will perform Richard Strauss' great "Alpine Symphony" and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor with his new orchestra in Frankfurt (Oder) - with "Artist in Residence" Alexander Krichel as the soloist. On April 5, 2026, he will conduct a joint production of the Nikolaisaal Potsdam, the Potsdam Barberini Art Museum and the BSOF. "Max Liebermann und seine Zeitgenossen" is the title of the musical reading with a large orchestra, featuring actor Jörg Hartmann ("Tatort", "Weissensee").
Felix Mildenberger is one of the most internationally successful young conductors. In 2018, he won the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition. Since then, he has worked with top orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the hr-Sinfonieorchester, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Filarmonica di Milana and the Camerata Salzburg. Felix Mildenberger has also been Principal Guest Conductor of the Filarmonica Teatro Regio di Torino since the 2021/22 season.
He began his musical training in violin, viola and piano, studied orchestral conducting in Freiburg and Vienna and attended masterclasses with David Zinman, Paavo Järvi, Bernard Haitink and Markus Stenz.
From 2015 to 2017, he was a lecturer in orchestral conducting at the Freiburg University of Music. As a scholarship holder of the Conductors' Forum, he was included in the 2021 "Maestros of Tomorrow" list of artists by the German Music Council - an award for many years of artistic quality. The year before, he was awarded the "Prix Young Artist of the Year" at the Festival of Nations.