Artistic director: Joseph Swensen

With its name referring to one of the most precious monuments of Central Europe’s baroque architecture - the Aula Leopoldina at the Wroclaw University - the NFM Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1978.

Artistic identity of the ensemble was shaped by several music personalities but the most influential was violinist Karol Teutsch. He knew how to connect the best individual skills of orchestra’s musicians and created a tradition of artistic director with both, virtuoso-performer and conducting talents. After seven fruitful years under the direction of violinist Ernst Kovacic orchestra was artistically leaded by viola soloist Hartmut Rohde, profesor at the Universität der Künste in Berlin who also teaches at the Royal Academy of Music London. He is a founding member of the Mozart Piano Quartet.

The ensemble earned substantial critical and public acclaim after making its appearance at such venues as the Philharmonie and Schauspielhaus in Berlin and just recently in the Luxembourg Philharmonie.

The orchestra recorded several albums, including Rossini Gala with Ewa Podleś (contralto). The album Ernst Krenek – Symphonic Elegy has been highly praised in the prestigious music magazines: "Diapason", "Fanfare" and "The Strad". The album Berg by arrangement – Music for Strings was announced by the "Sunday Times" in January 2015 as one of the best among 100 CD recorded in 2014.

Orchestra’s CD Made in Poland was nominated for the "Fryderyk 2018" prize in the category Album of the year, Symphonic and concertante music (Atom String Quartet, Leopoldinum Orchestra, Christian Danowicz)

updated: 2019 (wa)