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 begin on 30 July 2026.
BENEDICT KLÖCKNER, Cello
Benedict Klöckner is today among the most distinguished cellists of his generation. A prizewinner at numerous international competitions, he enjoys an intense solo career with top-tier orchestras 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 Berliner Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Musikverein (Vienna), Tonhalle (Zurich), and Concertgebouw (Amsterdam).
A regular guest at international festivals, he has shared stages with artists including Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Gidon Kremer, and Anne-Sophie Mutter — confirming a multifaceted trajectory that balances solo performance, chamber music, and close collaboration with leading musical institutions worldwide.
For over a decade, he has been founder and artistic director of the International Music Festival Coblenz (IMUKO).
In the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 seasons, he maintains an especially prominent international schedule: performances at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Berliner Philharmonie, Cologne Philharmonie, Tonhalle Zurich, Suntory Hall Tokyo, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw — alongside his 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 with Yu Kosuge, released by Sony in 2023.
He has also recorded the complete Bach Cello Suites. His recordings have received prestigious distinctions, including the OPUS Klassik Award and the Supersonic Award.
Trained at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Martin Ostertag and at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and Gary Hoffman, Benedict Klöckner 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, Berliner Philharmonie, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Sydney Opera House, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and L’Auditori in Barcelona.
She is a recipient of Latvia’s Grand Music Prize and has appeared as soloist with the Munich Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed at festivals including the Dresden Music Festival, Shanghai International Cello Festival, Moritzburg Festival, and Radio France Occitanie Montpellier Festival.
She is a Decca Classics artist. Together with her sister, violinist Kristine Balanas, she 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 artistic director 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 same instrument used in the 1873 premiere of Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1.
Born in Dobele, Latvia, into a family without classical music tradition, she began singing rock ’n’ roll with her family and busking on the streets with her brothers to help fund instruments and travel.
At age 15, she received a full scholarship to the Purcell School and later studied cello and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she was awarded the Bicentenary Scholarship.
Artistically mentored by Lynn Harrell and selected for Gautier Capuçon’s Cello Masterclass, her extraordinary journey spans from the streets of Latvia to the world’s greatest concert halls.