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 today regarded as one of 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, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Wiener Musikverein, the Tonhalle Zürich, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
A regular guest at international festivals, he has shared the stage with musicians such as Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Gidon Kremer, and Anne-Sophie Mutter—solidifying a trajectory that balances solo performance, chamber music, and close collaboration with some of the world’s foremost musical institutions.
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 Zürich, Suntory Hall Tokyo, and Concertgebouw Amsterdam—as well as a return to New York’s Lincoln Center and his debut with the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing.
His recent discography includes the album *Dvořák*, released by Berlin Classics in 2024 under Cristian Măcelaru with the Romanian Chamber Orchestra and Danae Dörken; and the Brahms sonatas recorded with Yu Kosuge (Sony, 2023).
He has also recorded Bach’s complete cello suites. His recordings have received prestigious distinctions, 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 currently teaches at the École Normale de Musique de Paris.
He performs on the “Ex Maurice Gendron” cello, built by Francesco Ruggeri in 1680.
Deeply 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 performed at festivals including the Dresdner Musikfestspiele, the International Cello Festival Shanghai, the Moritzburg Festival, and the Radio France Occitanie Montpellier Festival.
She is an exclusive 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 orchestral conductor: 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 performs on 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’s Cello Concerto No. 1.
Born in Dobele, Latvia, without a family tradition in classical music, 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 guided by Lynn Harrell and selected for Gautier Capuçon’s Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle, she has traced an extraordinary path—from the streets of Latvia to the world’s greatest concert halls.