The Musikkollegium Winterthur was founded in 1629 and has been a professional symphony orchestra since 1875. With approximately 50 musicians, it is now one of Switzerland’s leading orchestras. Each season, the ensemble plays just over 40 concert programmes at the Stadthaus Winterthur, as well as giving numerous chamber music performances. In the realm of opera and ballet, the Musikkollegium Winterthur maintains a fruitful collaboration with the Theater Winterthur and Zurich Opera House. Classical and romantic music are the main focuses of the orchestra’s broad repertoire, which ranges from baroque to contemporary. Conductors such as Hermann Scherchen and Joseph Keilberth had a signficant influence on the ensemble into the second half of the 20th century, and distinguished chief conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst and Heinrich Schiff have continued this tradition. Douglas Boyd headed the orchestra from 2009 to 2016, and Thomas Zehetmair has been Chief Conductor since September of that year. Famous soloists and conductors such as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Sir András Schiff, Isabelle Faust, Sol Gabetta, Emmanuel Pahud, Reinhard Goebel, Heinz Holliger, Andreas Ottensamer, Michael Sanderling and Maurice Steger, to name but a few, are regular guests of the Musikkollegium Winterthur. In recent years, the Musikkollegium Winterthur has assumed a pioneering role with its extensive youth work, for which it has already been the recipient of several awards. Besides a broad variety of events, the ensemble has also executed book, CD and DVD projects, as well as being the subject of a documentary film. “The Musikkollegium Winterthur is a jewel in the Swiss orchestral landscape.” Neue Zürcher Zeitung