Song of Light
ADDA Alicante Symphony Orchestra
Benedict Klöckner — Cello
Margarita Balanas — Guest Conductor
Mozart — Symphony No. 35 “Haffner”
Haydn — Cello Concerto in C major
Mendelssohn — Symphony No. 2 “Lobgesang” (“Hymn of Praise”)
INDIVIDUAL TICKET SALES: Starting 30 July 2026.
BENEDICT KLÖCKNER — Cello
Benedict Klöckner is today among the most distinguished cellists of his generation. A winner of numerous international competitions, he enjoys an intense solo career with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, Deutsche Radiophilharmonie, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Kremerata Baltica, MDR Symphony Orchestra, and Munich Chamber Orchestra.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Sanderling, Ingo Metzmacher, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Oana Mallwitz, Cristian Măcelaru, and Sir Simon Rattle.
His artistic presence has taken him to internationally renowned venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Vienna’s Musikverein, Zurich’s Tonhalle, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
A regular guest at international festivals, he has shared the stage with artists such as Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Gidon Kremer, and Anne-Sophie Mutter—solidifying a trajectory that unites solo performance, chamber music, and close ties with the world’s foremost musical institutions.
For over ten years, he has been founder and artistic director of the International Music Festival Koblenz (IMUKO).
In the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 seasons, his international schedule is especially prominent: performances at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonie, Cologne Philharmonie, Zurich Tonhalle, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw—as well as a return to New York’s Lincoln Center and debut with the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing.
His recent discography includes the album *Dvořák*, released by Berlin Classics in 2024 with Cristian Măcelaru, the Romanian Chamber Orchestra, and Danae Dörken; and the Brahms sonatas recorded with Yu Kosuge, issued by Sony in 2023.
He has also recorded the complete Bach Cello Suites, and his recordings have received accolades including the OPUS Klassik Award and the Supersonic Award.
Klöckner studied at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Martin Ostertag and at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and Gary Hoffman. He is currently Professor at the École Normale de Musique de Paris.
He performs on the “Ex Maurice Gendron” cello, built by Francesco Ruggeri in 1680.
Committed to contemporary creation, he has premiered works by Wolfgang Rihm, Eun Hwa Cho, Eric Tanguy, and Dai Fujikura in major international concert contexts.
MARGARITA BALANAS — Guest Conductor
Latvian cellist and conductor Margarita Balanas has established herself as one of the most distinctive musicians of her generation, performing at Carnegie Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and L’Auditori in Barcelona.
She is a recipient of Latvia’s Grand Music Award and has appeared as soloist with the Munich Philharmonic, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also participated in festivals including the Dresden Music Festival, the Shanghai International Cello Festival, the Moritzburg Festival, and the Radio France Occitanie Montpellier Festival.
She is an artist of Decca Classics and, together with her sister, violinist Kristine Balanas, recorded *Castillo Interior* by Pēteris Vasks. She has collaborated closely with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Mutter Virtuosi.
Balanas is also a pioneering figure in orchestral conducting—the first woman symphonic conductor in Latvia, founder and conductor of ANONIMI Orchestra and Charity, and former assistant conductor to Paavo Järvi with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.
She plays the 1849 Charles-Adolphe Gand “Auguste Tolbecque” cello, loaned by The Little Butterfly Foundation—the very instrument used for the 1873 world premiere of Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1.
Born in Dobele, Latvia, into a family with no classical music tradition, she began singing rock and roll with her family and busking on the streets with her brothers to help fund instruments and travel.
At age 15, she earned a full scholarship to the Purcell School, and later studied cello and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she received the Bicentenary Scholarship.
Artistically guided by Lynn Harrell and selected for Gautier Capuçon’s Cello Masterclass, she has charted an extraordinary journey—from the streets of Latvia to the world’s greatest concert halls.