In this context, music is also spatially at the center of the hall: from all seats, one can see the performers well. Since the stage is surrounded by the seats of the auditorium, the audience is closer to the artists here than elsewhere. The acoustics, for which Heinz Graner and Abraham Melzer are responsible, have even improved over the years due to the natural aging of the wood. The Cologne Philharmonie maintains a broad program featuring major works of the symphonic repertoire, with jazz sessions and folk and pop events.
However, there are also numerous world premieres and first performances of concerts scheduled, dedicated to the less well-known, the new, and the exotic. Two orchestras are permanently based in the Cologne Philharmonie: the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and the Cologne Symphony Orchestra. The other major ensembles of WDR, which operates a modern digital recording studio in the Cologne Philharmonie, are the renowned WDR Big Band Cologne, the WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne, and the WDR Radio Choir Cologne.
