About the orchestra
The University Orchestra was officially founded in 1955. Today, the orchestra is conducted by Manus O'Donnell and consists of around 60 musicians.
History of the orchestra
It began in 1954: On the occasion of an enrollment ceremony and the handing over of the President’s Office, Prof. Richard Lauschmann gave a performance with a small ensemble at the former Wirtschaftshochschule Mannheim. Only one year later, he founded the Collegium Musicum Instrumentale and thereby created the forerunner of today’s Mannheim University Orchestra.
After Prof. Lauschmann’s death, Peter Braschkat took over the ensemble in 1982 and remained its conductor for almost twenty years. Under his direction and thanks to the tireless efforts of Prof. Erwin Dichtl, the Collegium could travel to Wales, Norway, Strasbourg, the new federal states, Poland and Hungary. Numerous performances together with the Collegium Musicum Vocale made the Collegium grow more and more.
In 2001, Peter Braschkat left the Collegium and Wolfram Sauer became its new music director. At the same time, the Collegium Musicum Instrumentale was renamed and has been known as Mannheim University Orchestra ever since.
Since the winter semester 2005, the university orchestra has been under the direction of the Irishman Manus O’Donnell. Only two years later, he managed to organize another concert trip with the orchestra. This time to Italy. In 2012, there was an exchange with the orchestra of the University College Dublin. First, the Mannheim University Orchestra traveled to Dublin and in the following year, the Dublin orchestra came to Mannheim. In May 2016, the Mannheim University Orchestra made a concert trip to Maastricht, Netherlands. This was part of another orchestra exchange, so that one year later, the Maastricht orchestra visited Mannheim for a joint weekend and concert.
Also in 2016, the musical work of the university orchestra was complemented by a very special component: At the request and due to the efforts of the orchestra, a cooperation with the orchestra of the Nationaltheater Mannheim was established. For further information, please see Partnership with the NTO Mannheim.
Conductor Manus O’Donnell
Credit: Ilka GrotehusmannManus O’Donnell was born in Dublin in 1975. He was first a student of Elisabeth Csibi in the Royal Academy of Music in Dublin and later studied the viola with Dubravka Moshfegh in the New England Conservatory in Boston. Subsequently, he studied music at the Trinity College in Dublin. During this time, he developed a passion for conducting, so that he initially conducted the university orchestra before becoming Director of the Chapel Choir. He studied conducting with James Cavanagh and has studied in master classes with Robert Houlihan, Georg Grün, Daniel Reuss and Gerhard Markson, the chief conductor of the Irish National Symphony Orchestra. Between 2002 and 2005, he continued his studies at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts with Georg Grün.
As one of the most versatile young Irish musicians, Manus works as conductor, singer and violist. He was the music director at St. Ann’s church in Dublin for several years and directed the choir of St. Patrick’s cathedral many times. He sang with Opera Ireland on multiple occasions and was a member of the National Chamber Choir of Ireland from 2000 to 2002. With this leading vocal ensemble in Ireland, he toured nationally as well as internationally, made numerous recordings and broadcasts, and worked with distinguished conductors and musicians. In 2001, he conducted the choir in a program with 20th century music. Manus performed at many music festivals, such as the Bastad Chamber Music Festival (Sweden 2001), the Dublin International Organ and Choral Festival (2002 & 2005), the Edington Music Festival (England 2002–04), and the Cork Choral Festival (2000, 2002, & 2003). In addition, he had many other performances in Europe and the USA. In 2002, he was also the managing director of the Dublin International Organ and Choral Festival, an event which takes place every three years with more than 40 performances in 10 days.
In 2004, he participated in a conducting master class in Berlin with the RIAS Chamber Choir and its chief conductor Daniel Reuss, and conducted the choir in a concert at the end of the course. In 2005, Manus was in the final round of the Mariele Ventre competition for choir conductors in Bologna.
Since October 2005, he is the conductor of the Mannheim University Orchestra.
Support
Without its numerous supporters, the Mannheim University Orchestra would hardly be able to make music at such a high level and have fun at the same time. Similarly, many concerts and concert tours in Germany and abroad would not be possible without the support of, for example, the President’s Office and the Service and Marketing GmbH of the University of Mannheim. We also thank the Ursulinengymnasium Mannheim. During the renovation of the Aula, it allows us to continuously do our rehearsals near the university. If you would like to support us as well, please just contact us – we are looking forward to it!
We would also like to express our gratitude to the following groups:
University of Mannheim
ABSOLVENTUM
Nationaltheater Mannheim
Studium Generale
Akademiekonzert
European Network of University Orchestras