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Stegreif

Who we are

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Our Story

STEGREIF The Improvising Symphony Orchestra

WE PLAY BY HEART

We are an improvising symphony orchestra made up of cross-genre musicians, creating new pathways into classical music. Our recompositions combine musical heritage with contemporary influences and improvisation. We play our concerts without a conductor, without sheet music, and without chairs — we use this freedom to improvise, move, and connect more closely with our audience. The musicians and the audience move freely within the space; the boundaries between spectators and performers become fluid, and everything becomes a stage. The musical spontaneity and movement offer the audience an innovative, intimate concert experience. This results in vibrant concerts that are lively, spontaneous, and collectively created.

Bild: Navina Neuschl

»WE ARE COMMITTED TO DISCOVERING NEW FORMS OF (COLLECTIVE) COLLABORATION«

A COLLECTIVE APPROACH

On and off stage, Stegreif stands for a collective approach that replaces hierarchical orchestra structures with democratic processes and establishes new forms of collaborative teamwork. In doing so, we see ourselves as a socially conscious orchestra that combines artistic creation with sustainable practices and a clear, values-based stance. It is deeply important to us to explore new forms of (collective) collaboration.

Bild: Ludwig Nikulski

MUSIC EDUCATION & OUTREACH

One of Stegreif’s core missions is not only to share our music, but to create new pathways to make it more accessible. We pursue this approach not only in our concerts but especially through regular workshops and community projects. In our collaborative work with amateurs, students, school groups, and various communities, we are guided by the idea that improvisation is more than just music. For us, improvisation is an accessible tool that enables artistic experience and empowerment, allowing people to grow beyond themselves—regardless of their prior musical experience. Another key focus lies in our work with emerging musicians and university students, integrating the topics of concert design and improvisation into higher education.

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Bild: Helena Gladen

The Orchestra

General Applications

Would you like to play with us? We are also happy to receive unsolicited applications from musicians. In addition to a letter of motivation, please send us some audio and video samples for us to get an impression of your artistic activity.

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Our Story

Stegreif shows new ways of what a contemporary orchestra can look like today. The cross-genre musicians combine recompositions of symphonic music with improvisation, play from memory without a conductor and thus gain more freedom for movement and interaction.

Since the orchestra was founded in 2015, at least one new concert programme has been created every year: freebeethoven, freeschubert, freebrahms, freeEroica, bfree, freemahler, explore_mozart, explorefreischütz, improphonie, symphony of change, explore_händel, freebruckner, freesolo, feel:free and escape valse. In addition, co-productions have been realised with the Neuköllner Oper (GIOVANNI. Eine Passion, MOON MUSIC, Neue Lieder von der Erde), PODIUM Esslingen, Deutschen Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and junge norddeutschen philharmonie (TRIKESTRA), Berliner Festspielen (Down to Earth), Into The Open Festival and the Beethovenfest Bonn, among others.

Stegreif has played concerts at renowned venues such as Berlin Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Brucknerhaus Linz, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Radialsystem Berlin, Lucerne Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, ION Nürnberg as well as at FUSION, Detect Classic Festival, Ancient Trance Festival, Oranjewoud Festival (NL), Holzmarkt and Exploratorium Berlin.

»Bei allen Rekompositionen steht die Improvisation im Zentrum, aber auch das Einbinden unterschiedlicher Musikstile von Jazz über Volkslied und arabischer Musik bis Techno ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil.«

Improvisation is at the heart of all compositions, but the incorporation of different musical styles is also an important component. In addition to the ensemble's composers such as Juri de Marco, Alistair Duncan, Julia Biłat, Franziska Aller, Tabea Schenk, Nina Kazourian, Sebastian Caspar and Bertram Burkert, Stegreif has commissioned works and arrange-ments from Uri Caine, Mike Conrad, Wolf Kerschek, Lisa Morgenstern, Ralph Heidel, John Hollenbeck, Maria Gstättner, Noam Sivan, Malte Schiller and Claas Krause. It has also worked with the directors Tristan Braun, Gineke Pranger, Juan Cruz Diaz de Garaio Esnaola, Ulrike Schwab, Tino Sehgal, Sommer Ulrickson, David Fernández, Theresa von Halle und Ela Baumann as well as with musical guests Abel Selaocoe, Caroline Widmann, Nils Landgren, Markus Stockhausen, Thomas Klug and Rosanne Philippens.

Music Mediation

In addition, music mediation concepts have been developed. The orchestra has on several occasions developed joint concert programs with amateur musicians or young people, such as BE:community with the Konzerthaus Dortmund, or Egmont at the KUG Graz, and regularly holds workshops on orchestral improvisation, most recently with partners such as Jugend Musiziert, the Landesmusikrat Berlin, the Staatstheater Augsburg, the HMTM Munich, the mdw Vienna, the Hfm Detmold and the HfMT Hamburg. The working methods are summarised in the book “Alles improvisiert?”, published by Schott Music in 2025.

Through large-scale workshop series, the orchestra has also developed educational programs for socially disadvantaged communities. Furthermore, in 2024, Stegreif held a residency at TONALi in Hamburg, where it developed a programme involving 200 school pupils.

Awards

Stegreif has already been honoured with the following awards: Startup Music Prize Berlin 2016, ‘D-Bü’ competition for students at German music academies 2017 (topic: future of the concert format), Würth Prize 2018 of the Jeunesses Musicales Foundation, Fellowship in the #bebeethoven programme of the PODIUM Festival Esslingen 2018-2020, European Trend Brand of the Year 2019 at the 14th European Cultural Brand Award, TONALi Award ‘Courage for Utopia’ 2023 as well as a nomination for OPUS Klassik 2025 in the category Innovative Concert.

Stegreif has received funding from the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Karl Schlecht Foundation, the Alfred Töpfer Foundation F.V.S, the AVENTIS foundation, the con moto foundation, the German Orchestra Foundation, the Claussen Simon Foundation and the Zeit Stiftung Bucerius, among others.