CON
DUCTOR
> friederike kienle
Renowned for her bold projects that transcend the mainstream, German conductor Friederike Kienle has established herself as a versatile and innovative force in the world of classical music. Her distinguished career includes conducting numerous prestigious German orchestras such as the Munich Symphony Orchestra, the SWR Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra Reutlingen, the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Southwest German Philharmonic Orchestra Konstanz. Her expertise has also been showcased internationally, with orchestral and operatic engagements in the USA, Bulgaria, and Japan.
Since 2020, Kienle has served as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of ENSEMBLE BALANCE in her native Stuttgart. With the ensemble, she recorded the chamber version of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony, released in 2025 by Hänssler Classics. ENSEMBLE BALANCE embraces the demands of contemporary selfgovernance, music education, innovative audience engagement, and experimental concert formats. Within a short time, it has established itself as a regional artistic force, celebrated for its high musical standards, imaginative programming, and vibrant, audiencecentered culture. Kienle’s pioneering work with the ensemble has been supported by the federal program Neustart Kultur as well as by additional funding from the state of BadenWürttemberg.
Kienle is deeply committed to sustainable artistic initiatives, to cultivating young audiences, and to advancing diversity within the classical music field. Her repertoire features a wide range of works by women composers and composers of color—voices still underrepresented on international concert stages. In 2025, the label Capriccio released a recording of works by Israeli composer Paul BenHaim, performed with cellist Ofer Canetti and the Württemberg Philharmonic Reutlingen.
In June 2025, she traveled to Ukraine for a collaborative project with the Rivne Philharmonic Orchestra, conducting a concert dedicated to solidarity and international connection. The event was streamed worldwide and received significant attention in both German and Ukrainian media.
Friederike Kienle received her musical training with Prof. Tatsuya Shimono at Ueno Gakuen University in Tokyo and with Prof. Rasmus Baumann at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. She further refined her craft in masterclasses with renowned conductors such as Kurt Masur, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, Ana Zorana Brajovic, and Stefan Blunier.
Alongside her work as a conductor, Friederike Kienle is an accomplished cellist. She has performed internationally with orchestras in Germany and Japan, contributed to numerous CD productions, and taught for a decade as head of the cello class at the Hokkaido University of Education in Sapporo. Since 2021, she has served as Artistic Director of the innovative BALANCE concert series at Berger Kirche in Stuttgart. In 2025, she also joined SWR Kultur as a radio editor.
— ENSEMBLE BALANCE
The synergy that arises when 13 highly motivated musicians connect with enthusiasm can be magical. The ENSEMBLE BALANCE combines musicians from the renowned Stuttgart orchestras with freelance international colleagues at the highest artistic level.
In 2020, Friederike Kienle founded ENSEMBLE BALANCE in Stuttgart, which she has conducted and artistically directed ever since. In 2020, they recorded an arrangement of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 for 11 instruments with the ensemble for the SWR. This was followed by live streams of symphonic, education and opera programs with the wordsmith Timo Brunke. Her work with Ensemble Balance earned her the Neustart Kultur scholarship along with grants to promote artistic endeavours from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Arts.
In 2021, Friederike Kienle and the musicians of Ensemble Balance launched the innovative BALANCE concert series in the cultural community space of the Berger Kirche in Stuttgart. The concert series is striking due to the modern format of its concerts, uniting artists, audiences, young talent and social interaction – a place for dialogue with and about music, and for all generations from all social backgrounds.
