Klaus Arp (1950 - 2016) was born in Soltau. After studying piano, conducting and composition at the Hamburg University of Music and Performing Arts, he worked as an assistant and solo pianist at the Hamburg State Opera. In addition to his classical training, he has also been active as a jazz musician, with a special focus on minimal music.

In 1978 Klaus Arp took over the Hamburg State Youth Orchestra and the production of West Side Story at the Hamburg State Opera - a production which he conducted with great success more than fifty times. As part of his work with the Hamburg State Opera, he also composed numerous ballet pieces and incidental music for the stage. Despite his various commitments as a freelance musician and lecturer at the Hamburg School of Music, he signed a permanent contract as Principal Conductor of the Koblenz Opera in 1981.
In addition to his work at the Opera, he has conducted numerous concerts of the Rheinische Philharmonie and has participated in various broadcasting programmes at concerts and productions. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the Philharmonia Hungarica, the Basel and Zagreb Symphony Radio Orchestras - where he was Chief Conductor, the Teatro Margarita in Genoa, the Teatro Pergolesi in Jesi, the North-West German Philharmonic Orchestra and many others, including in the USA, South Korea and Canada.
From 1987 to 1995 he was Principal Conductor of the South-West Radio Orchestra (Kaiserslautern), and since 1992 Artistic Director of the 'Villa Musica' in Mainz, the renowned charitable foundation of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, whose aim is to promote music and to assist in the education of young musicians.
In 1993 he was appointed Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the Music Academy Heidelberg-Mannheim, later the Mannheim School of Music.

Klaus Arp was the heart and soul of our project. He oversaw the Ljubljana International Orchestra and the Orchestral Academy with care and heart. He conducted the orchestra and supported its development every year from 2010 to 2015.