Brandenburg Theater: Orchestra director urgently wanted!

Brandenburg Theater: Orchestra director urgently wanted!

Today's supervisory board meeting of the Brandenburg Theater is very busy: after the director's resignation Alexander Bushe, who will be relieved of his duties on September 30, 2025, an urgent decision must now be made. A special meeting will take place on August 8th to discuss the projects that Busche may want to accompany. Opinions within the committee are divided. Critical voices come primarily from Birgit Didczuneit-Sandhop (CDU), Michael Tonn (AfD) and Norbert Langerwisch (Free Voters). Proponents such as Udo Geiseler (SPD) and Klaus Hoffmann (Green Alliance), on the other hand, rely on a future-oriented attitude.

The voice of the supervisory board chairman and mayor Steffen Scheller (CDU), who is seen as decisive, will be particularly interesting. Langerwisch has already announced that the position of orchestra director should be advertised and filled immediately, as the Brandenburg Symphony is considered the heart of the theater. This position includes important tasks such as managing operations and scheduling staff to ensure a stable artistic level.

The challenge of the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra

In recent years, the orchestra's external appearances have declined sharply. There are currently 51 musicians permanently employed, but at the last water music event only 31 from the company were represented. Another problem is the poor utilization of performances; None of the last three performances managed to sell more than half of the audience seats. This poses major challenges for the artistic direction, especially given the fact that Busche worked with 75 instrumentalists when staging the opera “Elektra,” even though 111 were needed.

The search for a new orchestra director is therefore a priority, immediately after the situation surrounding the artistic director has been clarified. This shows how important solid leadership is to secure both the artistic and financial future of the theater. The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts highlights how crucial management is in the theater and orchestra scene, and that the successful management of this area results from diverse experiences and interrelated disciplines.

Dr. Alexander Busche: A look at his career so far

Some background on Dr. Alexander Busche are remarkable. He was born on March 12, 1978 in Detmold and completed impressive studies in journalism as well as music and theater studies at the Free University of Berlin. As managing director of the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra, Busche implemented numerous innovative measures during the corona pandemic, including the publication of video concerts. He was also orchestra director and managing director of the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra from the 2022/23 season. These experiences make his drastic dismissal all the more surprising and raise questions about the future direction of the theater.

The challenges that the Brandenburg Theater and the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra are currently experiencing are diverse. The coming decisions will decide not only the fate of the theater, but also the artistic heritage and cultural landscape of the region. Now it remains to be seen how the situation will develop and what new impulses a future orchestra director can provide.