Joana Mallwitz Receives Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

The young conductor will receive the honor from the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier

The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was established in 1951, and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation.

In recognition of her work and stature, conductor Joana Mallwitz has been made a member of the order. She will receive the honor from the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a ceremony on October 9, 2023.

23 other Germans will also receive the award at this event, which is taking place at the Bellevue Palace.

Previously the General Music Director of the Staatstheater Nürnberg, Joana Mallwitz is now the Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin — and is the first woman ever to hold such a post at any Berlin orchestra. She has been contracted for an initial term of five seasons.

After her acclaimed debut at the 2020 Salzburg Festival with Mozart's “Cosi fan tutte,” Mallwitz has also enjoyed great success at the National Opera Amsterdam, the Semperoper Dresden, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Bavarian State Opera, the Frankfurt Opera, the Royal Danish Opera, the Norwegian National Opera Oslo, and the Zurich Opera.

"[Mallwitz] is celebrated for her precise and inspired work on the podiums of audiences around the world," the citation read. "In 2014, Joana Mallwitz took over the Erfurt Theater, the youngest music director in Europe at the time, and in 2018, she took over the Nuremberg State Theatre."

"She represents the future of classical music with its universal language that unites people. Because Joana Mallwitz not only wants to remove the shyness of classical music from all generations, but she also wants to transmit ‘what can be madness and joy, like a Beethoven symphony.'"