Former students of the Karajan Academy can be found everywhere, whether in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Radio France, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Vienna and Munich Philharmonic orchestras – and of course the Berliner Philharmoniker. “Learn from the pros” is the motto of the Academy. Founded in the early 1970s by Herbert von Karajan and funded by private donors, highly talented young musicians are taught by members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and are prepared for the life of professional orchestral musicians. A commitment that bears abundant fruit: today, around one-third of the members of the Berliner Philharmoniker are former students of the Academy.