News
— January 18, 2022
New beginnings
Happy New Year to all! Since I’ve been isolated at home due to a positive Corona test, I’m finally getting around to updating this wonderful website. So keep your fingers crossed that a few more of the planned concerts will happen this year!
Also, I can make good use of the time to pack – after living in Berlin for almost 20 years and bravely commuting first to Rostock, then to Munich, I’m giving up the eternal sitting on the train and will be able to cycle to uni in future. Hello Bavaria, hello functioning airport, hello beer gardens, mountains and lakes, and goodbye, you exhausting and chaotic, never sleeping city! See you around.
— April 24, 2021
Bittersweet
Back at the legendary Concertgebouw in Amsterdam! This hall is treating me nicely, I have to say. Debut ten years ago with the Rococo-Variations, followed by Brahms Double, Shostakovich and now Schumann- it could be worse. Of course nobody in the hall except the wonderful Residentie Orkest with their music director Nicholas Collon, and to make it even more historical it will be his last concert as their chief conductor. Can’t wait to play again, and looking forward to coming back here already in next June!
— September 19, 2020
Home game
After two surprisingly busy weeks and no cancellations I am looking forward to a special concert next Thursday. After ten years I will return to my former orchestra where back then I served as principal cello before my musical life changed after the ARD competition. Seeing my former colleagues and friends and being on stage together with them again means a lot to me and I am sure we will give everything for the sparsely filled Konzerthaus. Unfortunately these days Berlin is not very artist or public- friendly and only allows a quarter of the tickets being sold- whereas this morning I flew home from Zurich on a completely packed flight. To better times!
— June 23, 2020
Back on something like a stage
Thanks to my friend Lars we are finally back playing wonderful chamber music! In the picture with superstar Vilde after our first rehearsal of Brahms’ C major piano trio. The whole week is filled with music, seeing friends and playing concerts and it certainly feels like something I have missed terribly during the last months.
— April 18, 2020
Fermata
A fermata (Italian: [ferˈmaːta]; “from fermare, to stay, or stop”; also known as a hold, pause, colloquially a birdseye or cyclops eye, or as a grand pause when placed on a note or a rest) is a symbol of musical notation indicating that the note should be prolonged beyond the normal duration its note value would indicate.
Other names for a fermata are corona (Italian), point d’orgue (French), Fermate (German), calderón (Spanish).
— February 18, 2020
Québec revisited
A week in Québec with my friends of the Orchestre symphonique, Dvorak Cello Concerto and a great conductor and musician, Otto Tausk. An inspiring and very cold interlude during the non-existing European winter, and instead of skiing with a friend we stayed at home, mixed drinks and listened to Sibelius. Looking forward to coming back to this beautiful and friendly place!
— January 26, 2020
Next stop: Norway
After the complete cycle of the Beethoven cello sonatas in my hometown I am off to Kristiansand with the Haydn C major Concerto in my pocket. As you can see Kristiansand is blessed with a spectacular concert hall, the “Kilden”, and I am especially looking forward to meeting the orchestra and their former musical director Giordano Bellincampi again after an intensive Schumann Concerto about three years ago. Also the Norwegian salmon is quite a pull factor, so long story short: Jeg liker det!
— December 30, 2019
Old and new
After revisiting Padova and the amazing Auditorio Pollini with a tough solo recital program (first time Hindemith Solo Sonata for me!) I am enjoying a nice long break at home with my family and nothing else. After (too) many flights and jet lags of 2019 I am happy that my next concerts bring me to Cottbus which I can reach so easily by train from Berlin! Of course the complete Beethoven Sonata cycle in my hometown Pirmasens is also on the menu, as well as going back to Kristiansand and its amazing “Kilden” Hall… but just see for yourself, I have finally updated my concert dates until May 2020 (lazy me)!
Happy new musical year!
— November 5, 2019
Flat whites with the Skride Piano Quartet
My week started in New Zealand with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra where I somehow feel very much at home- so far away from home. Must be the fine music-making and the friendly people! Meanwhile I am on tour with the girl band of the Skride Piano Quartet, visiting Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Melbourne and Hobart. We are enjoying the Australian spring (Berlin’s November weather is far away now) and try to cure our jet lags with the ever so tasty flat whites!
— October 16, 2019
New chapter
Today a new chapter begins- the Impresariat Simmenauer is taking over my general management. I am very happy about this collaboration since I have always respected them for their artistically stringent philosophy which is a rare find in the music business. I am very much looking forward to starting our partnership!