The Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra gives its 3rd symphonic concert, Alte und Neue Welt (Old and New World), at the Palais des Congrès in Biel/Bienne. It takes place on Wednesday 18 November 2026 at 7.30 pm, conducted by Tess Jackson.
The story
The orchestra was founded in Biel/Bienne in 1969 as the Société d’Orchestre Bienne. Its founders were Edi Benz and Jost Meier. Armin Jordan and Jost Meier shaped its early years. Today the ensemble has 44 permanent musicians.
Several conductors have led it, including Grzegorz Nowak, Thomas Rösner and Kaspar Zehnder. Yannis Pouspourikas has been its music director since 2022. The orchestra gives more than 40 concerts a season in Biel/Bienne and Solothurn. It also plays in every TOBS opera production.
The orchestra champions contemporary music, with many world and Swiss premieres. It has performed at the Tonhalle Zurich, the Stadtcasino Basel and the Grand Théâtre de Genève. It also records, including Beethoven’s piano concertos under Kaspar Zehnder.
The Palais des Congrès in Biel/Bienne is one of the TOBS venues. Its hall seats 1,115 people. TOBS brings together opera, theatre, concerts and dance. It stages more than 300 events a season and welcomes about 70,000 visitors.
Who organises it
The concert is organised by Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn (TOBS), the bilingual performing arts house of Biel/Bienne and Solothurn. TOBS describes itself as a cultural meeting place. It aims to bring together audiences of different languages, origins and generations.
What to find
The programme brings together four works. It opens with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Four Novelletten, Op. 52. These pieces blend European Romanticism with African influences. Robert Schumann’s Fantasy in C major for violin and orchestra, Op. 131, follows.
The audience then hears Un Monde nouveau (A New World), a piece written by Camille Pépin in 2024. The evening ends with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550. This symphony marks the shift from courtly classicism towards more personal expression.
Tess Jackson conducts the orchestra. Daniel Kobyliansky plays the solo violin part. He is associate principal first violin of the orchestra. An introduction to the works is offered at 7 pm in the same venue.
Practical information
- Date, Wednesday 18 November 2026
- Times, introduction to the works at 7 pm, concert at 7.30 pm
- Venue, Palais des Congrès, Rue Centrale 60, 2501 Biel/Bienne
- Tickets, online at tickets.tobs.ch or at the box office of the Théâtre municipal, Rue du Bourg 19, Biel/Bienne
We have gathered here all the information published by the organiser to date. Do you have more? Write to us, and the article will be completed.
Links
- Official site, TOBS, Alte und Neue Welt
- Tickets, TOBS, online ticketing
- Discounts, TOBS, discounts
- All events across French-speaking Switzerland, Genève Infos Agenda
Sources
- TOBS, season programme, accessed on 14 November 2026
- TOBS, Alte und Neue Welt, accessed on 14 November 2026
- TOBS, biography of the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, accessed on 14 November 2026
- TOBS, performance venues, accessed on 14 November 2026
- TOBS, contact, accessed on 14 November 2026
- Jura & Trois-Lacs, Biel Solothurn Theatre and Orchestra, accessed on 14 November 2026
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