Registration opens for the 2026 Festival Orchestra

Who wants to be part of one of the most ambitious young orchestras in the world? Young musicians can now apply for the 2026 festival summer – the 100 best applicants can look forward to not only a wonderful summer in Schleswig-Holstein, but also many concerts throughout northern Germany and the opportunity to work with five first-class conductors. 

The orchestra 

Since its foundation in 1987, the SHFO, which is reconstituted annually, has enjoyed an excellent reputation. The best musicians under the age of 26 will be selected in auditions in around 30 cities worldwide from mid-December to the end of February. The young musicians will receive a scholarship that covers their travel to Schleswig-Holstein, their stay at the Nordkolleg Rendsburg and rehearsals from the beginning of July to the end of August. 

The conductors

In the summer of 2026, Teddy Abrams, Andrew Manze, Oksana Lyniv, Stefan Geiger and Christoph Eschenbach will conduct the festival orchestra. Rehearsals will take place in the ACO Thormannhalle on the grounds of NordArt in Rendsburg-Büdelsdorf.

In the first phase of work, American Teddy Abrams will be at the podium of the festival orchestra. Abrams has been conducting the Louisville Orchestra since 2014 and is a regular guest conductor with all the renowned orchestras in the USA. He received a Grammy for a joint recording with pianist Yuja Wang. Together with the SHFO, he will present Richard Strauss' symphonic poem ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’. 

Under the baton of British conductor Andrew Manze, the young talents will perform Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’. In his position as chief conductor of the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Manze was a regular guest at the SHMF, and he is now passing on his historically sound detailed knowledge and his keen awareness of stylistics to the young festival orchestra for the first time. 

Oksana Lyniv, one of the leading conductors, will lead the SHFO in 2026. Born in Ukraine, she has been music director of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna since 2022 and was the first woman to conduct at the Bayreuth Festival in 2021. With the festival orchestra, she will perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Jean Sibelius, Britta Byström and Edvard Grieg.

In the fourth phase of the project, the young musicians will immerse themselves in the world of silent film and play live to the film on a big screen. The project will be conducted by film music specialist Stefan Geiger, who was himself a member of the SHFO as a trombonist during his studies.

The final phase of the project will be led by Christoph Eschenbach, who has held the special position of Principal Conductor of the Festival Orchestra since 2004. In the summer of 2026, he will conduct Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’.

Registration & Acknowledgements

Registration for the auditions is open until 14 December here. Further information on auditions and work phases can also be found at the link.

The SHMF would like to thank its orchestra partner Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (IB.SH), as well as Johanna and Hans-Julius Ahlmann, the ACO Group, the NordArt team, the Mathias Tantau Foundation, Fielmann AG, the Oscar and Vera Ritter Foundation, the Weiland Cultural Foundation Henning Hamkens, the Festival Orchestra's circle of donors, the Nordkolleg Rendsburg, Carlsberg Deutschland GmbH and Yamaha.