Conductor and violinist Thomas Hengelbrock has focused to an unusual degree on historical performances of Baroque music and on contemporary music, as well as mainstream repertory. He is the founder and director of his own groups, the Balthasar Neumann Choir and Ensemble, which specializes in both Baroque and contemporary music. Hengelbrock made his recording debut in 1990, leading a performance of C.P.E. Bach's Hamburg Symphonies. Hengelbrock became principal conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg, overseeing its move into the Elbphilharmonie concert hall and its renaming as the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. He stepped down from that position at the end of the 2017-2018 season but has remained active in the recording studio. In 2022, he and the Balthasar Neumann Orchestra backed soprano Julie Fuchs on the album Amadè.