The aim of Stegreif – The Improvising Symphony Orchestra is to show new ways what a contemporary orchestra can be today: cross-genre musicians play without sheet music, without conductor, freely moving in space and improvising on symphonic music by means of free arrangements.

Their radical recompositions aim to transform the cherished musical heritage in a way that is fit for the future and to expand it with contemporary currents. Musical spontaneity and performative intensity offer a new kind of concert experience to the audience, who also freely move around the space. With these innovative concert formats, it inspires a growing audience of different ages and target groups.

Since the orchestra’s founding in 2015, at least one new concert program has been developed each year and presented at renowned venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Radialsystem Berlin or the FUSION Festival.

In addition, structured music education concepts have been established. The orchestra regularly gives workshops, children’s concerts and has developed joint concert programs with amateurs or young people on several occasions. Stegreif has received several awards, including the Startup Music Prize Berlin 2016, »D-Bü« competition of students of German music universities 2017 (topic: future of the concert format), Würth Prize 2018 of the Jeunesses Musicales Foundation, Fellowship in the #bebeethoven program of the PODIUM Festival Esslingen 2018–2020, European Trend Brand of the Year 2019 at the 14th European Cultural Brand Award.