Harking back to the performance traditions of the Electoral court chapel, the "Neue Hofkapelle München" was founded in 1992, led from 1996 by Christoph Hammer. In 2009, Baroque violinist and conductor Rüdiger Lotter re-formed the orchestra as "Hofkapelle München". The ensemble operates as a non-profit limited liability company, and the name "Hofkapelle München" is a registered trademark. The name also clearly defines the ensemble's purpose: to rediscover and bring to life the rich musical world of Munich and Bavaria around 1600–1850 — in terms of forces, repertoire choice, and historically informed performance practice.

The Historical Model

Music at the Munich court reaches back to the early 16th century. The loosely assembled group of musicians was first united into a professional ensemble by court composer Ludwig Senfl. The golden age of the orchestra began in 1556 when Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria appointed Orlando di Lasso — the "princeps musicorum" (Prince of Musicians) — to Munich as director of the court chapel.

Over the following 200 years the Munich court chapel continued to be regarded as a highly esteemed elite ensemble. Outstanding musicians including Agostino Steffani, Pietro Torri and Evaristo Felice dall'Abaco served at the Munich court. When Elector Karl-Theodor acceded to the throne in 1777, the celebrated Mannheim court orchestra merged with the Munich ensemble, bringing the orchestra to a further artistic peak.

Musical patronage — both sacred and secular — and the appointment of highly regarded singers and instrumentalists was as important to the prestige of the Bavarian court as its magnificent architecture. Unique for the size of the territory, Bavaria thus became an outstanding artistic and cultural centre of Europe. The eventual merger with the Mannheim court orchestra gave rise to what is today the Bavarian State Orchestra.

Biography

Hofkapelle München has established itself as a leading ensemble in historically informed performance practice, with a particular focus on the repertoire of the German Baroque and Classical periods. Under the artistic direction of conductor Rüdiger Lotter, the ensemble performs on major stages such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, De Singel in Antwerp, the Cologne Philharmonie, the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles, and the NOSPR in Katowice. The orchestra is a regular guest at prestigious festivals including the Rheingau Musik Festival, the MA Festival Bruges, the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, the Tage Alter Musik in Regensburg, and the Warsaw Chopin Festival. In addition to Rüdiger Lotter, guest conductors such as Reinhard Goebel, Alessandro de Marchi, and Howard Arman have also appeared with the ensemble.

The orchestra maintains close ties with the Chorus of Bavarian Radio, the Regensburger Domspatzen, the Chorwerk Ruhr, and the Chor der KlangVerwaltung München. Since 2024, Hofkapelle München has also had its own professional choir, enabling the ensemble to explore the repertoire of the Munich court from the 16th and 17th centuries in particular.

Hofkapelle München is also active in the field of opera, having maintained a long-standing partnership with the Bavarian Theatre Academy that produced numerous acclaimed opera productions. In 2022, the ensemble's own productions and co-productions with venues such as the Mozartfest Würzburg, the Cologne Philharmonie, and the Konzerthaus Blaibach were continued with the opera "Der Stein der Weisen oder Zauberinsel", supported by federal funding.

In 2024 Hofkapelle München co-produced Mozart's "The Magic Flute" with the Herrenchiemsee Festival and the Konzerthaus Blaibach. At the end of 2025, the ensemble delighted audiences with Salieri's opera "La Grotta di Trofonio" at the WDR festival Tage Alter Musik in Herne, as well as with the revival of "Der Stein der Weisen" at the Theater an der Wien.

Since its founding in 2009, the orchestra has released a series of highly successful recordings. In 2012 Hofkapelle München received the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. The Sony CD "Le belle immagini" with Valer Sabadus was awarded the Echo Klassik. The Alpha recording "Zauberoper" was nominated for the Opus Klassik 2023, and the Sony DHM recording "Der Stein der Weisen" was nominated for the Opus Klassik 2025. The 2025 Berlin Classics release "Maria Theresia Paradis" received widespread media attention and was named CD of the Week by several broadcasters. In 2026 Salieri's opera "La Grotta di Trofonio" will appear as a live recording; a new project with tenor Daniel Behle is currently in preparation.