Overture: Chronology of the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn
8 November 1960 Heilbronn Orchestral Society is founded.
Founding members: Rudolf Breitschmid, Gerhard Dürr, Dr Helmuth E. Flammer, Heinz Hamberger, Dr Ernst Kinkel, Dr Karl Lang, Kurt Lichdi (president), Erne Sigel
6 December 1960 Presentation on the new society's goals for public authorities, the local council and the cultural scene at the Merian room in the Harmonie festival hall. Jörg Faerber is appointed artistic director and secretary.
13 January 1961 First concert by the Heilbronn Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn at the German–Greek Association at Gustav Siegle House in Stuttgart
27 January 1961 First concert in Heilbronn (Harmonie festival hall)
Programme:
Geminiani: Concerto Grosso in E minor, Op. 3 No. 3
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in A major
Handel: Concerto Grosso in B flat major, Op. 6. No. 7
Bach: Ricercare from the Musical Sacrifice
Handel: Oboe Concerto in G minor
Bach: Suite No. 3 in D major
Soloists: Heinz Burum, Friedrich Milde, Renate Trauer-Volkart
27 July 1961 The Heilbronn Council approves an initial grant of 7,000 Deutschmarks for the chamber orchestra.
September 1961 Opening concert of the first series of subscription concerts
30 April 1962 The members unanimously agree to change the ensemble's name to Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn.
28 March 1963 After months of controversial debate concerning the proposed merger of the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn with the Heilbronn Symphony Orchestra, Heilbronn City Council freezes all funding for both ensembles before subsequently deciding to grant 125,000 Deutschmarks to solely the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra. The associated 'request' that some of its programmes 'ought' to be given a symphonic touch places an additional strain on the orchestra's finances but leads to the WKO's distinctive structure. By tackling works that are considered too big for a chamber orchestra and too small for a symphony orchestra, it fills a gap in the market, making the WKO much in demand.
1964 Heilbronn regional MPs Paul Meyle (Liberals and Democratic People's Party) and Fritz Ulrich (Social Democrats) unsuccessfully propose a motion for the WKO to receive regional funding as of 1965.
29 November 1965 First concert (Brandenburg Concertos on two evenings) featuring Maurice André in Heilbronn
December 1965 A joint motion by regional parliamentarians Meyle and Feucht (Liberals and Democratic People's Party), Ulrich and Doll (Social Democrats), and Klenert (Christian Democrats) to subsidise the WKO is approved, and the sum of 50,000 Deutschmarks is granted for 1966. This makes the WKO the fourth government-funded chamber orchestra in Baden-Württemberg alongside the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra of Pforzheim and the Palatine Chamber Orchestra of Heidelberg.
June 1966 First appearance at the Schwetzingen Festival
31 January 1968 First performance of Prof Fritz Werner's Symphonic Music for String Orchestra, Op. 45
20 and 22 April 1970 To celebrate the bicentenary of Beethoven, the composer's five piano concertos are performed.
8 November – 5 December 1974 First American tour (three weeks, taking in Washington, Boston, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto and New York). Soloist: Maurice André; 17 concerts, 30,000 spectators
25 January 1976 Heilbronn awards the Golden Coin to Jörg Faerber to mark the 15th anniversary of the WKO.
February 1977 Kurt Lichdi is awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.
11 May 1977 Pianists Christoph Eschenbach and Justus Frantz perform with the WKO for the first time.
18–31 January 1979 First tour of the USSR with 7 concerts in Moscow, Leningrad, Vilnius, Riga
5 June – 1 July 1979 First tour of the Far East with 16 concerts in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand
17 July 1979 Hermann Bosch becomes chairman of the orchestral society; Kurt Lichdi is made honorary chairman.
June 1980 First performances at the Weilburg Palace Concerts
8 September 1981 For the first time the WKO appears at the summer concerts at Neuschwanstein Castle.
Mai 1982 Concerts with Igor Oistrach
8 September 1982 First performance at the Montreux Festival
November 1982 First concert with Mstislav Rostropovich
20 September 1983 First concerts with Anne-Sophie Mutter (Stuttgart, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe)
7 November 1984 First concert by Sabine Meyer (clarinet) at the Berlin Philharmonie with the WKO
5 July 1984 Jörg Faerber is awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Cross of Merit
31 January 1985 Concert in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag in Bonn to mark the centenary of Theodor Heuss
26 January 1986 Ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the WKO at new theatre Stadttheater Heilbronn. Jörg Faerber is awarded the title of professor.
22 August 1987 Concert at the Waldbühne venue in Berlin, including with Maurice André
19 March 1991 'Under the Glass Pyramid' is the title of a new series of chamber music recitals launched by bank Kreissparkasse Heilbronn and the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn.
7 May 1992 Concert to mark the 40th anniversary of the state of Baden-Württemberg at its legation in Bonn
28 October 1998 The WKO and the Heilbronn Symphony Orchestra perform together for the first time at a concert celebrating the latter's 50th anniversary, prompting newspapers to write that the hatchet has finally been buried.
18 June 1999 Mayor Werner Grau marks Jörg Faerber's 70th birthday by awarding him the Ring of Honour of Heilbronn.
13 January 2001 Ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the WKO at Heilbronn Theatre. In this jubilee year, the 'new' Harmonie festival hall is completed with a rehearsal hall measuring 290 square metres and offices for the WKO, a large auditorium seating 2,015, and a new hall with seats for another 700 spectators.
3 July 2002 The WKO bids farewell to Jörg Faerber.
18 September 2002 A new era in the history of the WKO begins with the opening concert of the 2002/03 season conducted by Ruben Gazarian.
1 January 2003 Werner Grau (63) succeeds Hermann Bosch as 1st chairman of the orchestral society, with Hermann Bosch becoming its honorary chairman.
5 January 2003 The WKO's first New Year concert is described by the music critic of the Heilbronner Stimme newspaper as "brilliant".
19–23 May 2003 First concert tour of eastern Germany (Erfurt, Weimar, Neubrandenburg, Leipzig)
12 November 2003 1,400 children witness the WKO's first performance for pupils with the fairytale 'Peter and the Wolf'. Another 1,400 young spectators get the chance to see a repeat performance on 18 February 2004.
25 February 2004 Concert at the Sala Verdi in Milan
23 January 2005 First cooperation between WKO and Heilbronn theatre: the orchestra plays the music for 11 guest performances of Mozart's opera Idomeneo performed in the main auditorium by Oldenburg State Theatre.
1–13 April 2005 The WKO becomes the 'house orchestra' on the 1st International Classical Music Gala Voyage from Lisbon to Venice on board the Germany, a cruise-ship with its own TV series.
30 June 2005 Dieter Hildebrandt and the WKO open the Gaffenberg Festival in Heilbronn.
16–18 October 2005 USA tour with Arabella Steinbacher to Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington to mark the centenary of the death of Adolf Cluss
16–23 November 2005 European tour with the Beaux Arts Trio to Bayreuth, Berlin, Martigny, Geneva, Cologne and Strasbourg
1 April 2006 Frank Druschel is appointed the new manager of the WKO after his predecessor Peter Conzelmann moves to the arts department at Böblingen Town Council.
20 April 2007 WKO opens the new festival Dias de Música em Belém in Lisbon.
16 November 2007 The series 'redblue meets Klassik' starts.
26–31 January 2008 Opening concert at the La Folle Journée festival in Nantes
16 May 2009 'redblue meets Klassik': Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' is screened accompanied by the WKO.
17 June 2009 Jörg Faerber conducts the 10th Heilbronn Concert on the eve of his 80th birthday.
19 June 2009 200th concert in Weilburg
New horizons: 50th anniversary of the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn
Counterpoint: Foundation on 6 November 1960
Opus 1: Debut concert on 13 January 1961
Stringendo: 'Württemberg' Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn
Unisono: World-travellers yet close to home
Duet: Encounters with soloists
A tempo: Faerber's 'search for authenticity'
Maestro: Founder, inspiration, guiding father, trustee, European
Forte: A new era starts in 2002 with Ruben Gazarian
Tutti: Social popularity
Vivace: Tradition and new musical worlds
Overture: Chronology of the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn
