With the title of Honorary Conductor, Concerto Köln honours its long-standing and trusting collaboration with Kent Nagano. The General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Principal Conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, Kent Nagano, was delighted by this honour: "Concerto Köln and I have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship for several years. Whether Mozart's 'Idomeneo', the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven or, most recently, Richard Wagner's 'Ring des Nibelungen' - together we rediscover this music. The energy and power of the orchestra, the gripping playing and the musical curiosity of Concerto Köln are inspiring. I am very pleased to be able to become an honorary conductor of this ensemble!"
 
After a first artistic encounter with Beethoven's 6th Symphony and the joint realisation of Mozart's "Idomeneo" at the Audi Summer Concerts Ingolstadt 2016, the idea arose to deal more intensively with the scenic music of the 19th century. "Wagner Readings" with Concerto Köln and Kent Nagano as overall artistic director explore Richard Wagner's "Ring des Nibelungen". In addition to various concerts with 19th century works, the performance of the first part of the Ring tetralogy was planned for 2021. In 2019 and 2020 the focus was on the practical appropriation of the scientific findings: Among other things, wind instruments were copied from historical models, and workshops prepared to realise Wagner's ideals and practical performance intentions artistically. Scientists from various disciplines are significantly involved in the project. They are supported by the Kunststiftung NRW, the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Strecker Foundation and MBL.