Tutors of the MasterClasses
Following prestigious competition successes, our professors have established themselves amongst the foremost soloists of their generation, performing in some of the most renowned concert halls in the world and producing widely acclaimed CDs.
Above all they are passionate teachers and fine musicians.
Claudio Bohórquez
University of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin
Since the jury of the Kronberg Academy's International Pablo Casals Competition awarded him three prizes in 2000, Claudio Bohórquez has been a household name for every cello lover.
Since then, he has performed with leading orchestras in Germany, Japan and the USA.
In the winter semester of 2011, he was appointed to a professorship at the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts, succeeding Jean-Guihen Queyras, which he held until 2016. Since the winter semester of 2016, he has been teaching as a professor at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin.
His latest recording, ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ (Berlin Classics), was released in 2023 and was recorded together with his mentor Christoph Eschenbach as pianist
Piano accompanist: Kiyoko Wakamatsu
Website: www.claudiobohorquez.com
Natalie Clein
Rostock University of Music and Drama
The British cellist studied at the Royal College of Music in London and with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna.
She first gained international attention in 1994 when she not only won the BBC Young Musician Competition, but also – as the first British musician – the Eurovision Competition in Warsaw.
Natalie Clein combines her successful international concert career as a soloist with a busy chamber music schedule, which includes contemporary music as well as interdisciplinary projects with dancers and writers. She also runs her own chamber music festival in Purbeck, Dorset.
Her award-winning CDs are released by EMI and Hyperion.
She teaches as a professor at the Rostock University of Music and Drama
Piano accompanist: Yoko Kuwahara
Website: www.natalieclein.com
Marc Coppey
Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris
The French cellist is a professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris and director of the Les Musicales de Colmar festival.
After participating in the Leipzig Bach Competition in 1988, he was promoted by Yehudi Menuhin and Mstislav Rostropovich and began his international solo career.
The repertoire of this passionate chamber musician reflects his musical curiosity and devotion to lesser-known and contemporary works
Piano accompanist: Dunja Robotti
Webseite: www.marccoppey.com
Danjulo Ishizaka
University of Music Basel,
University of Arts (UdK) Berlin
The winner of first prize at the ARD Competition in Munich and the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin studied with Boris Pergamenschikow.
He performs worldwide as a soloist with renowned orchestras and conductors and is a welcome guest at national and international festivals.
His CD recordings were awarded the Echo Klassik Prize in 2006 and the Gramophone Award in the chamber music category in 2014.
He is a Larsen Artist and teaches as a professor at the University of Music Basel and the University of Arts (UdK) Berlin
Piano accompanist: Alessandro Tardino
Website: www.danjulo-ishizaka.com
Sebastian Klinger
University of Music Hamburg
Born in Munich and raised in Spain, the cellist performs solo concerts with renowned orchestras and plays in various chamber music ensembles with leading instrumentalists such as Lisa Batiashvili, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Jörg Widmann and Christian Gerhaher.
His discography, for which he has already been awarded a Diapason d'Or (Bach Cello Suites), is released by the labels OehmsClassics, Sony BMG and Deutsche Grammophon.
After 12 years as principal cellist in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, he became a professor at the Hamburg University of Music in 2015
Piano accompanist: Yukie Takai
Website: www.sebastian-klinger.com
Jens Peter Maintz
University of Arts (UdK) Berlin,
Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia Madrid
When he won first prize at the International ARD Competition in 1994, it was the first time in 17 years that the award had been given to a cellist.
As a professor at Berlin's University of the Arts (UdK), he has built up one of the most internationally successful cello classes since 2004. Since 2017, he has also been teaching at the renowned Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid.
Concerts in Europe, Japan, South America and the USA complement his work, as do CDs on Sony Classical (Klassik Echo) and, most recently, his highly acclaimed recording of Haydn's concertos for Berlin Classics
Piano accompanist: Naoko Sonoda
Website: www.jpmaintz.com
Attila Pasztor
Cellist, Composer & Product Manager at Thomastik-Infeld
Attila Pasztor is a cellist and product manager at the Vienna-based string manufacturer Thomastik-Infeld. Thanks to his diverse perspectives – both musical and technical – he is particularly well-equipped to provide comprehensive advice on sound optimization. Several renowned soloists and major orchestras already value and utilize his expertise.
Attila Pasztor studied at the University of Music in Vienna (under J. Luitz and T. Kühne), completed a 5-year soloist training (with Shafran), and also studied composition. He has won awards at international competitions such as the Bayreuth Music Competition and the Austria Chamber Music Festival. In addition, he was honored with the Vienna Philharmonic Prize and the OESTIG Prize for Contemporary Music.
Piano accompanist: Nicolai Gerassimez
Website: www.attilapasztor.com
Denis Severin
University of Music Munich Geneva-Neuchâtel,
University of Music Bern
Denis Severin teaches as a professor at the conservatories in Geneva-Neuchâtel and Bern.
His nominations for the Grammy Awards (2007) and the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA, 2018), as well as the ECHO KLASSIK Prize in 2015, underscore his artistic excellence on an international level. His CDs are released by NAXOS, SONY, Panclassics, Solo Musica and MDG.
Severin manages concert series in Germany, Switzerland and Ukraine.
He received his training first at the P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, then at the conservatories in Geneva and Basel, as well as in Paris, and finally at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
Piano accompanist: Nicolai Gerassimez
Website: www.denisseverin.com
JAKOB SPAHN
University of Music Nuremberg
Jakob Spahn studied with David Geringas and Claudio Bohórquez, among others.
The winner of numerous competitions (including the International ARD Competition) has been on concert tours with orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Central and South America.
As a chamber musician, he performs with renowned artists such as Leonidas Kavakos, Heinz Holliger, Mitsuko Uchida and Lang Lang.
His keen interest in contemporary music is reflected in his collaboration with composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Ursula Mamlok and Krzysztof Meyer.
He is First Solo Cellist at the Bavarian State Opera and Professor at the Nuremberg University of Music
Piano accompanist: Mana Oguchi
Wen-Sinn Yang
University of Music Munich
Winning first prize at the International Music Competition in Geneva in 1991 was followed by solo performances with, among others, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and NHK Tokyo under conductors such as Lorin Maazel.
A thirst for the unknown and an unceasing joy in exploration led him to a repertoire that today includes not only the well-known cello concertos but also rarely performed, highly virtuosic cello music, documented in over 30 CDs.
Born in Bern and of Taiwanese descent, the musician was principal cellist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for many years and has been teaching as a professor at the University of Music Munich since 2004
Piano accompanist: Chifuyu Yada
Website: www.wensinnyang.de