Artist in Residence
Anna Handler
Each concert season, the Beethoven-Haus invites outstanding young musicians to take up a residency, presenting various aspects of their work and engaging deeply with Beethoven. Anna Handler has been secured as Artist in Residence for the Beethoven anniversary season 2026/27. She is not only one of the most promising conductors of the younger generation, but has also made a name for herself as a pianist and chamber musician. Anna Handler will curate four concerts for the Beethoven-Haus featuring different ensembles. These will serve as the starting point for an in-depth exploration of Beethoven in her work, which began as early as spring 2026 with various orchestras, including the Ulster Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
Anna Handler is the designated principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, as well as principal conductor at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and, until August 2026, assistant conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She was previously a Dudamel Fellow and is now a permanent conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She was the first ever conducting student to receive the prestigious Kovner Fellowship from the Juilliard School in New York, where she completed her master's degree in 2023. As a chamber musician, she is the founder and director of the ensemble Enigma Classica. She is a scholarship holder of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and has been awarded numerous prizes. Handler’s debuts with internationally renowned orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic and the hr-Sinfonieorchester mark further highlights of her career to date. She has also worked with artists such as Augustin Hadelich, Yo-Yo Ma, John Adams and John Williams. In 2025, she conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood.
'I am deeply grateful to be closely associated with the Beethoven-Haus Bonn during the 2026/27 anniversary season, marking the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, and to be able to deepen my connection with Beethoven at the very place where he lived and worked. Beethoven has been a constant companion of mine for many years, but in the coming season he will take centre stage in my work. It is particularly the years around his thirtieth birthday, marked by existential questions and radical artistic renewal, that engage me both personally and in terms of my programme as a pianist and conductor.'
Anna Handler
Supported by: The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
- Anna Handler, piano | Artist in Residence
The thirty-year-old artist Anna Handler explores the life of the thirty-year-old Beethoven. Around 1801, he composed important piano pieces and famous sonatas such as the 'Moonlight' Sonata and the 'Storm' Sonata, through which he broke away from traditional conventions. Friendships also played a significant role in Beethoven’s life during this period, which is why other friends will join him on stage to perform during the concert.
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Bagatellen Nr. 2 und 4 aus den Bagatellen für Klavier op. 33
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Klaviersonaten d-Moll op. 31 Nr. 2 ("Der Sturm")
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Klaviersonate cis-Moll op. 27 Nr. 2 ("Mondschein")
Tickets: €40 | €20 (school pupils, students, etc.) plus booking fees
Advance ticket sales are expected to begin on 29 June 2026
- Anna Handler, piano | Artist in Residence
- Laura Handler, violin
- Alexandra Kahrer, cello
The programme explores contrasts that come together in dialogue, thereby leading to greater insight and peace. The ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata still feels like a concert piece, whilst at the same time questioning its own impact. The Cello Sonata in A major, by contrast, focuses on closeness, love and personal happiness. These feelings continue in the trios: the musical dialogue is conducted by three – at times tender and calm, at times bold and forward-pressing, as a search for inner peace.
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonate für Klavier und Violine A-Dur op. 47 ("Kreutzer"-Sonate)
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonate für Klavier und Violoncello A-Dur op. 69
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Klaviertrio in einem Satz B-Dur WoO 39
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Klaviertrio Es-Dur op. 70 Nr. 2
Tickets: €40 | €20 (school pupils, students, etc.) plus booking fees
Advance ticket sales are expected to begin on 29 June 2026.
- Anna Handler, Management | Artist in Residence
- Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
Beethoven Hall, Studio
Further details to follow
Tickets: €40 | €20 (school pupils, students, etc.) plus booking fees
Advance ticket sales are expected to begin on 29 June 2026
- Anna Handler, piano | Artist in Residence
- NN, soprano
- NN, speaker
- NN, string quartet
This programme explores the question of how Beethoven’s ideas continue to influence us today. The focus is on the character of Leonore from 'Fidelio', who stands for freedom and the struggle against oppression. Arnold Schoenberg later took up these ideas in his 'Ode to Napoleon'. Thinkers such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Hölderlin also shaped this era. Beethoven used these influences to create a new musical language that still feels modern today.
- Ludwig van Beethoven, works
- Friedrich Hölderlin, texts
- Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel, texts
- Anton Schönberg, Ode to Napoleon
Tickets: €40 | €20 (school pupils, students, etc.) plus booking fees
Advance ticket sales are expected to begin on 29 June 2026