The Real Filharmonía de Galicia was born as an ambitious cultural project in Santiago de Compostela in 1996. Made up of 54 musicians and an administrative team, the orchestra is based at the Auditorio de Galicia.
In 1997, the Escuela de Altos Estudios Musicales (EAEM) was added to the project. The teaching staff of the EAEM is made up nearly entirely from the principals and co-principals of the RFG. Since January 2023, Baldur Brönnimann has been the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of both the orchestra and the school.
The Royal Galician Philharmonic is one of the major cultural institutions of Galicia.
Initial Objectives
Neither of the institutions had gone through a strategic process in their history, so Brönnimann and the management of the orchestra looked at the situation of the orchestra and defined some core values and a mission statement that would serve as a basis for future artistic decisions.
Some key aspects that were included:
social relevance
creation and dialogue with past and present music
commitment to the training and support of young musicians, composers and conductors.
support of innovation and the creation of new orchestral repertoire
commitment to accessibility, diversion and inclusion
artistic excellence
Artistic Strategy and initiatives
Based on these core values and the overall strategy , they began to develop some lines of action in order to move the institution forward. Some of these lines of action included:
The closer integration of the school into the work of the orchestra. A bigger presence and visibility of the students within the orchestral concerts and an integration of the programming of the school with the season of the orchestra.
A reduction of main series programs (from 24 to 21) at the Auditorio de Galicia to make room for more projects aimed at new audiences (educational and family concerts, concerts in unconventional venues etc..).
A series of concerts of early classical and baroque music with specialists in historically informed performance practise. This is keeping in mind the history of the orchestra (formed by Helmut Rilling) and to further develop the orchestra´s own identity and the image of a versatile ensemble.
Creation of a new position for an assistant conductor in order to support young conductors in their professional development.
The creation of a position of “Composer in Residence” to help to reinforce the image of the orchestra as a platform for innovation and to send the message about contemporary music being at the core of our project.
A annual week of reading sessions for new orchestral works open to all composers.
A new strand of concerts with no breaks and short explanations by the composers, conductors or soloists.
A closer involvement and contact to audiences and subscribers. Including new platforms like periodic meetings or concerts programmed by the subscribers etc..
The 2023/24 season: Migrations
Keeping in mind the many changes for audience and orchestra, Brönnimann chose a theme to the first season that would resonate with the feelings and the history of Galicia. The message had to be that there were changes, but even if things were new, unexpected or difficult - there was a clear resonance with contemporary Galicia.
“Migrations” (Migraçons) was chosen as a title to pay homage to a historic reality that saw nearly 3 million Galicians emigrate during the 19th and 20th centuries. But equally, to connect to a present where still many young Galicians emigrate to Europe, but also many Africans, Eastern Europeans and Latin Americans migrate to Galicia looking for a better future. It was especially interesting to connect past and present in people’s lives as well as in the repertoire across the season.
The 2024/25 season: Nonconformists
The second season for the orchestra and the came out of the need to change some perceptions about classical music. Brönnimann was interested in the history of the19th and 20th centuries being the history of musicians who broke rules, who opened new spaces and explored new territory. At the core of the season were the symphonies of Beethoven - and around them, a context of rule-breaking composers like Charles Ives, Héctor Berlioz, Varèse, and many important women, like Ruth Crawford Seeger, Marianne von Martinez and so on.