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: From 30 July 2026.

BENEDICT KLÖCKNER. Cello

Benedict Klöckner is among the most distinguished cellists of his generation. A prizewinner at numerous international competitions, he maintains 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 leading international venues: Berlin 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 musicians including Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Gidon Kremer, and Anne-Sophie Mutter—forging a distinctive path that unites solo performance, chamber music, and deep engagement with major global music centres.

For over a decade, 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, Tonhalle Zurich, Suntory Hall Tokyo, and Amsterdam Concertgebouw—plus a return to New York’s Lincoln Center and debut with the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing.

His recent discography includes the album *Dvořák* (Berlin Classics, 2024), recorded with Cristian Măcelaru, the Romanian Chamber Orchestra, and Danae Dörken; and Brahms’ cello sonatas with Yu Kosuge (Sony, 2023).

He has also recorded Bach’s complete cello suites. His recordings have received accolades including the OPUS Klassik Award and 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 emerged as one of the most singular 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 (Barcelona).

She has received Latvia’s Grand Music Prize and 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 an artist of Decca Classics. Together with her sister, violinist Kristine Balanas, she released *Castillo Interior* by Pēteris Vasks. She has collaborated closely with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Mutter Virtuosi.

Balanas is also a pioneering orchestral conductor: Latvia’s first woman symphonic conductor, founder and artistic director of ANONIMI Orchestra and Charity, and former assistant conductor to Paavo Järvi at 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 for the 1873 world premiere of Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1.

Born in Dobele, Latvia, into a family with no classical music background, she began singing rock ’n’ roll with her family and busking on the streets with her brothers to help pay for 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 *Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle*, she has traced an extraordinary journey—from the streets of Latvia to the world’s greatest concert halls.