9th INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION HENRI MARTEAU
The Hofer Symphoniker, under the direction of their principal conductor Martijn Dendievel, will accompany the final round.
Principle Conductor
Martijn Dendievel
The young Belgian conductor, who has won multiple awards, has repeatedly guest-conducted the orchestra. His appointment by artistic director Cora Bethke and managing director Oliver Geipel was met with widespread approval from the musicians. The position of principal conductor of the Hofer Symphoniker was vacant for over 20 years. Martijn Dendievel has been signed up for an initial period of four seasons.
Martijn Dendievel is the winner of the 2021 German Conductor Award and is currently associate conductor of the Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen. He won the first Conductors' Academy of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, was a finalist in the London Symphony Orchestra's Donatella Flick Competition and was one of the prizewinners of the first International Conducting Competition Rotterdam in June 2022. From 2016 to 2020, he served as principal guest conductor of the Akademischer Orchester der Universität Halle. Since 2021, he has also been supported as a “Maestro of Tomorrow” by the German Music Council's Conducting Forum. He is a regular guest at the Philharmonie Zuidnederland and at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. He has also conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
In July 2022, he completed his studies in orchestral conducting with Prof. Nicolás Pasquet and Prof. Ekhart Wycik at the University of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar. He received further inspiration in masterclasses with Bernard Haitink, Christian Thielemann, Paavo Järvi, Iván Fischer and Simone Young.
THE ORCHESTRA
Hofer Symphoniker
Since its founding in 1945, the Hofer Symphoniker has firmly established itself in the North Bavarian concert scene and beyond.
In addition to its own symphony concert series and its engagement at the Theater Hof (with opera, operetta, musical and ballet), the orchestra is a guest throughout Bavaria with symphony concerts and choir projects. The Hofer Symphoniker are also very active in church music and are regularly invited to the Thurn und Taxis Festival in Regensburg.
Internationally renowned artists such as Albrecht Mayer, Antje Weithaas, Claire Huangci, Konstantin Krimmel, Sebastian Manz, Jess Gillam, Liya Petrova, Raphaela Gromes, Julia Hagen, Kinan Azmeh and Christian Zacharias perform with the orchestra time and again. Conductor Hermann Bäumer is currently the orchestra's conductor in residence. Since September 2024, the Belgian Martijn Dendievel is the orchestra's principal conductor.
The Hofer Symphoniker is a cultural and educational organisation with around 120 employees from approximately 19 nations and an exemplary educational concept that includes its own music school. With around 1,200 students, the Hofer Symphoniker makes a significant contribution to musical education in Upper Franconia.
Every year, under the motto “Stars of Tomorrow”, the Hofer Symphoniker, together with the district of Upper Franconia, invite outstanding prizewinners of “Jugend Musiziert” to perform as soloists with the orchestra. This project is an example of the important work being done to promote young talent at the top. An ambitious education programme (with visits to school classes, workshops, etc.) reaches around 1.000 young people each season. People who can no longer organise a concert visit on their own should also be able to enjoy classical music. For this reason, the Hofer Symphoniker also regularly give concerts in retirement homes. The Hofer Symphoniker's programme is very diverse.