Pannon Philharmonic

The Pannon Filharmonikusok (Pannon Philharmonic) has celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2011. The founding concert of the then Zeneművész Társaság (Musical Company) had been performed on December 9, 1811 conducted by the founder Mr. Georg Lickl (Lickl György). The Pécsi Szimfonikus Zenekar (Symphonic Orchestra of Pécs) – as an individual musical institution – was founded in 1984 and its artistic directors were: Tamás Breitner, Howard Williams, Nicolás Pasquet, Zsolt Hamar and Zoltán Peskó. Since the autumn of 2011 the orchestra’s Chief Conductor is Tibor Bogányi, the Resident Conductor is Andráss Vass.

THE PANNON PHILHARMONIC INTRODUCTION PDF

In 2003 the orchestra set the goal of a professional renewal and by 2010 it became one of the leading musical orchestras of Hungary. With its several unique concerts and its wide program structure satisfying all age groups it is an exceptionally important artistic institution of the South-western region of Hungary. It is regularly invited to many important and renowned Hungarian festivals. It is a permanent guest of the Budapesti Tavaszi Fesztivál (Budapest Spring Festival), the Miskolci Operafesztivál (Miskolc Opera Festival) as well as the Budapesti Fesztiválzenekar Maraton series (Budapest Festival Orchestra Marathon). Its guest musicians and conductors represent the international musical elite, among others it has performed with the conductors Oliver von Dohnányi, Olari Elts, Maxim Vengerov, Krzysztof Pendereczki and Leopold Hager, with the cellist Mischa Maisky, the pianist Fazil Say, the oboist László Hadady as well as the violinist Roby Lakatos. The orchestra performed successful concerts among others in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Great-Britain, the United States and Canada.

In the spring of 2006 the orchestra gave a really successful concert in the Konzerthaus of Vienna within the subscription concerts series of the Wiener Philharmoniker and in the autumn it performed the main concert of the festivities for the Anniversary of the Hungarian revolution of 1956 in Vienna in the Stephansdom. In 2010 the orchestra performed concerts in Essen, in 2011 in Vienna, in Graz and it performs regularly in different towns of Croatia, too. The orchestra is a cooperating partner in several international projects and it is the founder and resident orchestra of the international cooperation of the Armel Operaverseny és Fesztivál (Armel Opera Competition and Festival). As the orchestra of the Operalia song contest organised in 2009 in Pécs, it has worked several times with Plácido Domingo.

In 1991 the orchestra won the Niveau Award of Artisjus, in 1996 the Pro Communitate award of the township of Pécs, in 1997 the Regional Artistic-Award of the County of Baranya, in 1998 the Bartók Béla-Pásztory Ditta Award, in 2007 the Regional Príma-Award of the County of Baranya and from 2007 on it was the cultural ambassador of the European Capital of Culture program of Pécs for 2010. As the resident orchestra of the Kodály Központ (Kodály Centre) of Pécs it performs 42 concerts a year in Pécs and in addition to that it also has a concert series in the Müpa Budapest permanently sold out for almost a decade. For the outstanding performance at the Armel Opera Competition in 2015 the orchestra was awarded a special prize. Thanks to the orchestra’s contribution the Armel Opera Festival presented the audience award winning production in 2017. In autumn 2017 the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra and its Festival Choir received a special prize for the most distinguished production of the 47th Varazdin Baroque Nights.