Founded in 1987, Freiburger Barockorchester (FBO) is a modern German orchestra that specializes in playing baroque music on historical instruments. Formed in Freiburg im Breisgau by students from the city's Hochschule für Musik, the ensemble can feature anywhere from 15 to 45 musicians depending on the works being performed. They soon gained international fame and became an in-demand orchestra. They have built a solid reputation through their performances and recordings which focus on 17th and 18th century compositions. The Freiburger Barockorchester has played many of the finest concert halls around the world including the Wigmore Hall London, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Philharmonie de Paris, and others. During some performances, they perform without a conductor, but throughout the years they have worked with well-known conductors including Pablo Heras-Casado, Teodor Currentzis, Sir Simon Rattle, and René Jacobs. Freiburger Barockorchester’s artistic directors are Gottfried von der Goltz (violin) and Kristian Bezuidenhout (hammerklavier), who assumed the position in 2017. Both of the directors also perform as soloists during performances. The Freiburger Barockorchester was nominated in 2008 for the Edison Prize, the Annual German Critics' Prize (2009), a Gramophone Award for the album CPE Bach: The Keyboard Concertos, Wq 43 (2011) and the Echo-Klassik Prize twice: in 2012 for Mendelssohn: Concertos and in 2013 for Mozart: Piano Concertos, K. 453 & K 482. They have released more than 80 titles, 10 of which were gathered together in the 2011 box set Freiburger Barockorchester Edition.
