43rd International Music Festival Portogruaro
Akademische Philharmonie Heidelberg
Ilya Ram, conductor
The Akademische Philharmonie Heidelberg is a symphony orchestra made up primarily of students and young professionals from the Heidelberg and Mannheim region in southern Germany. The orchestra was formed from the Collegium Musicum of the University of Heidelberg in 2006 and has since established itself as a staple in the cultural life of Heidelberg.
Today, it comprises about 110 musicians, making it one of the largest amateur orchestras in the region. What unites them is the joy of making music at a high level and the opportunity to perform various significant concerts in the concert halls of Heidelberg each year.
The orchestra's repertoire focuses on large-scale symphonic music of the 19th and 20th centuries.
ILYA RAM
Israeli-American conductor praised for his charismatic energy by Crescendo Magazine and for his “expressive spontaneity” (Diapason), he is internationally appreciated for his original, lively, and imaginative approach to classical music.
Recently appointed Music Director of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, he has been conducting the Akademische Philharmonie Heidelberg since 2023/24.
Comfortable in both symphonic and operatic settings, he made his debut at the Semperoper in Dresden with the world premiere of Drei Miese, fiese Kerle by Zad Moultaka, and was a guest resident conductor at the Theater Chemnitz, where he conducted Weiße Rose and Swan Lake. As a fellow of the Akademie Musiktheater Heute, he presented three new works in world premiere with Ensemble Modern in 2024/25.
He is one of the few to have completed the Music.Multimedia.Management project promoted by the Szczecin Philharmonic and the TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art. He studied with masters such as Christian Thielemann, Klaus Mäkelä, Sakari Oramo, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste.
Convinced that joy and creativity are the foundation of musical excellence, Ram brings a bold and inspired vision to every stage.
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