Orchesterakademie Rhein-Neckar

The Orchesterakademie Rhein-Neckar (Orchestra Academy Rhine-Neckar, OARN) is a joint project of the Mannheim State University of Music and Performing Arts with the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, the Nationaltheater Mannheim, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz Ludwigshafen and the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg.

The aim of the Orchesterakademie is to promote young professional artists in the field of orchestral instruments and to facilitate the transition from study to work.

The academy students are selected in a joint entrance examination between the university and the four orchestras. They are enrolled in the »Supplementary Studies Orchestra Academy« at the Musikhochschule Mannheim. This practice-oriented study programme requires regular participation in the four professional orchestras (approx. 120 performances per year). As a rule, the aim is to distribute the services as evenly as possible among the four participating orchestras with their different profiles.

The OARN thus makes it possible to gain experience as well as playing practice in a professional orchestra and, with regard to the Philharmonisches Orchester Heidelberg with opera performances and concerts in various formats, provides insights into everyday professional life in a multi-discipline orchestra.