HarrisonParrott is delighted to announce that Tabita Berglund has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of Dresdner Philharmonie from the 2025/26 season.

Following the recent announcement of Berglund’s Principal Guest role with Detroit Symphony Orchestra, effective from 2024/25, the German appointment further underlines her status as one of the leading conductors of her generation. It follows Berglund’s debut with Dresdner Philharmonie in November 2023, during which she conducted a programme centred around Sibelius’ Symphony No.2 to great acclaim.

Commenting on the appointment, Berglund said: 

“My first encounter with the Dresdner Philharmonie in November 2023 was incredibly inspiring. I experienced the highest quality, openness to intensive collaboration and an atmosphere at the concerts that I have rarely experienced in any other hall. The audience is not only physically close to the orchestra and vice versa, but you feel a real connection that is hugely motivating artistically. For me, the future of classical music lies in reaching younger audiences with our music while simultaneously creating a real human connection. I’m convinced that I can contribute to this in Dresden and am very much looking forward to working together.”

Dresdner Philharmonie’s General Manager, Frauke Roth, remarked:

“[…] What counts for the quality of an orchestra is artistic excellence and what I call a ​‘common language’. Much more importantly, the choice of a young conductor like Tabita Berglund […] is that it creates new ways of communicating, breaking down hierarchies and allowing an artistic partnership of equals to develop between musicians and the conductor. I’m convinced that, in addition to great seriousness and enormous artistic willpower, it is precisely this kind of collaboration that creates particularly moving musical experiences. Tabita will certainly help to consolidate excellence, attract new audiences and lead the Dresdner Philharmonie into the future in an open and innovative way.”

Chief Conductor Designate Sir Donald Runnicles added: 

“I very much welcome the decision to appoint Tabita Berglund as Principal Guest Conductor of Dresdner Philharmonie. […] [She] has already attracted attention with her fresh, convincing approaches to classical works and will certainly be an asset to Dresdner Philharmonie and its audience.”

Berglund next returns to Dresdner Philharmonie in January 2025 for a programme comprising works by Thorvaldsdottir, Tchaikovsky, and Shostakovich. She makes her debut as Principal Guest in the orchestra’s season-opening concerts in late August 2025; the role sees her lead several projects across both the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons, including a concert at the 2026 Dresdner Musikfestspiele. 

Other European returns in 2024/25 include Orchestre National de Lyon, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich and Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, while Berglund’s debut engagements that season include Gothenburg Symphony, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra (Salzburg Easter Festival), Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, among others. Over in the United States, she debuts with Minnesota Orchestra and Houston Symphony, in addition to her first two Principal Guest weeks with Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Her Asian debut is in November 2024 with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. 
 

Click on the following link to view Dresdner Philharmonie’s full-length press release: https://​www​.dres​d​ner​phil​har​monie​.de/​d​e​/​p​r​e​s​s​e​/​a​k​t​uell/