Maria Grätzel
Maria Grätzel has been orchestra director of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB) since the 2003/2004 season. Parallel to the orchestra’s exceptional artistic development with Marek Janowski, Ms. Grätzel has been able to raise the RSB’s profile as one of the top orchestras of the Berlin concert scene and secure a position for the orchestra on the international concert stage.
She has offered young and meanwhile internationally renowned conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet Seguin or Kristjan Järvi the opportunity to make their Berlin debuts with the RSB and, in 2008/09, she invited Daniel Schnyder to be the RSB’s first Artist in Residence.
In 2006, Maria Grätzel founded the festival of Schlüterhof Concerts in the German History Museum DHM, as well as the concert series Feuerstein: Introducing Classics (Feuerstein führt Klassik ein), which was recognized by the Landmark Initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas” in 2009. She has introduced audiences to attractive new concert venues in the context of the RSB’s chamber music series. For the 2010/11 season, she is planning to revive the series “Paths to New Music” together with the RBB.
Maria Grätzel reorganized the orchestra’s administrative structure and revamped its corporate design in 2004, in the course of which the orchestra’s motto “Music is the Essence” was established. She has won strong partners in business and secured long-term financial support for selected projects.
A main focus for the years from 2010 to 2013 will be the presentation of the Wagner Project together with Marek Janowski. The RSB’s principal conductor will lead the orchestra in concert performances of Richard Wagner’s ten great stage works at the Berlin Philharmonie.
Born and raised in Mainz, Maria Grätzel studied violin with Lukas David at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Westfalen-Lippe in Detmold, and played in the Chamber Orchestra Tibor Varga before moving on to study German literature, theater and philosophy, first at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and later at the University of Osnabrück, from where she earned the degree Magister Artium. During her studies, she gained experience as an assistant director and stage manager in Hof, Salzburg, Eutin and Osnabrück, and worked as a freelancer with NDR Radio.
From 2001 to 2003, Maria Grätzel served as cultural advisor for the Tertianum Residenz Betriebsgesellschaft mbH in Munich and, from 1994 to 2001, she was Managing Director and artistic advisor of the Munich Chamber Orchestra. Prior to these engagements, she worked as musical dramaturg for the Städtische Bühnen Freiburg, the Staatstheater Kassel and the Theater der Stadt Heidelberg.
Maria Grätzel has often been nominated to the juries of various musical competitions.
June 2009
