Opus 3 Berlin to become Askonas Holt Berlin

Alexander Hollensteiner appointed Managing Director of the new office

Askonas Holt and Opus 3 Artists announce today that the Opus 3 Berlin office will become Askonas Holt Berlin, effective 1 July 2024.

The rebranded office will be headed by Alexander Hollensteiner, who joins Askonas Holt Berlin as Managing Director from Kammerakademie Potsdam which he has led since 2014. Alexander will work alongside Katharina Ronnefeld and the rest of the Berlin team who become Askonas Holt colleagues from July.

Welcoming Alexander Hollensteiner, Donagh Collins, Chief Executive of Askonas Holt and Opus 3 Artists, also paid tribute to Jonathan Brill, who has led the Berlin office since 2020 and remains Executive Vice President at Opus 3 in New York:

“Jonathan has built an excellent team – full of talent and ideas – managing artists across Europe, including Ruth Reinhardt, Oscar Jockel, Ingo Metzmacher and Daniil Trifonov. I’m thrilled to welcome Alex to the company. He has terrific experience in so many areas of our business and will be an inspirational colleague. Berlin is an important cultural hub and home to many of the artists we represent. We look forward to building on a century-long legacy of working with great artists, orchestras, opera houses and presenters across the region, as well as arranging tours, developing productions and presenting concerts for the audiences there.”

Alexander Hollensteiner added:
“Having known and admired my new Askonas Holt colleagues over many years, I’m excited to be joining the company to lead this new chapter in its history. I look forward to working with Katharina and the Berlin team to develop the roster and shape the careers of many outstanding international artists, while also expanding opportunities in German-speaking territories for orchestras and ensembles in partnership with the award-winning tours team in London.”

Alexander Hollensteiner was Head of Planning and Deputy Artistic Director of the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern between 2004 and 2009, before joining Konzertdirektion Schmid as Senior Project Manager where he designed long-term tour strategies for the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Hollensteiner has been Managing Director of Kammerakademie Potsdam since 2014, during which time it has become known as one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles, including being named “Orchestra of the Year” at the 2022 OPUS Klassik Awards. Hollensteiner has also overseen the development of a large cultural education programme, the establishment of an academy for freelance orchestra musicians, and the development of a comprehensive sustainability strategy for the orchestra. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Oberlin Foundation.

Askonas Holt and Opus 3 Artists are part of a strategic alliance headed by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which also includes recording label Pentatone. The alliance organisations share a common mission to increase the impact of music in the world and to change the nature of how artists, students, patrons and audiences interact with one another.