The Mainz Chamber Orchestra ( German: Mainzer Kammerorchester ) is a German chamber orchestra based in Mainz .
It was founded in 1955 by violinist Gunter Ker , who led the team until his death in 1989. Further, the leadership passed to his assistant Volker Müller , who was at the helm of the team until 2017. In 2018, the widow of its founder, flute player Renate Ker , became the music director of the orchestra. In the days of Gunther Kehr, the orchestra usually performed with a conductor, most often with Kehr himself; Muller preferred to lead the group from the place of accompanist. Both young local musicians and well-known professionals from all over Germany are invited to work in the orchestra. Depending on the repertoire, the composition of the collective varies from eight to 25 performers.
The Mainz Chamber Orchestra visited many countries of the world on tour, especially in its first 30 years of operation. He made about 150 recordings, including the complete collection of symphonies by V.A. Mozart . In the era of Müller’s leadership, the field of activity of the orchestra expanded due to the festival “Mainz Musical Summer” ( German: Mainzer Musiksommer ), concerts in the city hall and other programs. Nevertheless, throughout the 21st century, the orchestra suffered from underfunding [1] .