Members
Kathy Ran
Member
Kathy Ran completed her bachelor's degree in neuroscience at Harvard University in Cambridge, USA. Her research interests were focused on the biological basis of subjective experience. Her studies in the cognitive sciences led her to philosophy. In order to dedicate herself to this research, Kathy is currently pursuing her Master's degree at the Freie Universität Berlin. During the transition period between her studies in neuroscience and philosophy, Kathy worked for a real estate property management company and became a licensed real estate agent in 2018. Kathy is an avid amateur violinist and a member of the large symphony orchestra at the Freie Universität Berlin.
Friedemann Slenczka
Member
Friedemann Slenczka is 1st solo violist at the Komische Oper Berlin. Previously he was 1st solo violist in the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt. As a chamber musician he plays at festivals such as the Heidelberger Frühling, the PODIUM Festival Esslingen, the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Kyoto International Chamber Music Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Philharmonie Baden-Baden, the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt and the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim. He studied at the UdK Berlin with Hartmut Rohde.
Honorary Members
Indira Koch
Honorary Member
Indira Koch studied at the Menuhin Academy in Gstaad with Alberto Lysy, at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Aaron Rosand and at the Juilliard School in New York with Robert Mann. She also participated in master classes with Igor Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Miriam Fried and others. During her studies, she received several awards, including first prize at the "Citta di Stresa" violin competition in Italy. In 1997 she won the coveted Artist International Award in New York and gave a highly acclaimed debut concert at Carnegie Hall. Indira Koch has toured Europe, India, Japan, North and South America and performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras. She is Deputy Concertmaster at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Artistic Director of the Chamber Orchestra Metamorphosen Berlin and a member of the Gropius Quartet. She plays a violin by J.B. Guadagnini.
Jens Peter Maintz
Honorary Member
Jens Peter Maintz studied with David Geringas and participated in master classes with Schiff, Pergamenschikow, Helmerson and Palm. In 1994, he won 1st prize at the ARD Music Competition. He was principal cellist of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and a member of the Trio Fontenay. Since 2006 he has been the principal cellist of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. He has performed with Ashkenazy, Blomstedt, Janowski, Kitajenko, Welser-Möst, Goebel and McFerrin. In addition to classical repertoire, he has played contemporary works from Yun to Haas. He is a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts and the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. As a chamber musician, he performs with renowned partners and has been awarded the ECHO-Klassik for recordings. He plays the cello "Ex-Servais" by Grancino.
Hartmut Rohde
Honorary Member
Hartmut Rohde is one of Europe's leading violists. As a member of the OPUS Klassik Prize-winning Mozart Piano Quartet and chamber music partner of artists such as D. Geringas, J. Jansen and J. Widmann, he has made his mark on stages around the world such as the Salzburg Festival, the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Seoul, Sydney, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Vienna Musikverein and Casals Festival.
As a sought-after soloist, he has worked with conductors such as K. Nagano and P. Järvi and orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Weimar, NDR Radio Orchestra Hanover and the Lithuanian Philharmonic Orchestra. CD productions have been released by EMI Classics, Decca, Sony/BMG, MDG, CPO and Naxos.
From 2013-2017 he was conductor of the Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum. Rohde has also conducted the Biel Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Camerata, Franz Liszt KO Budapest, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. In 2019/20, he toured the Vienna Musikverein, Vienna Konzerthaus, Hamburg Laeiszhalle, France, South America, Korea and the USA.
As one of the most sought-after pedagogues, he has been a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts since 1993 and is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. He plays a Giuseppe Fiorini 1899 from Cremona.
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt
Honorary Member
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt studied with David Geringas and Aldo Parisot and won several competitions during his studies, including the Tchaikovsky Competition, where he received a distinction, and the Rostropovich Competition, where he won the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris. As a soloist, he has performed with renowned orchestras worldwide, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. He is also a passionate chamber musician and a member of the cello duo "Cello Duello". Schmidt is also dedicated to contemporary music and has premiered works by composers such as Eva-Pekka Salonen and Alfred Schnittke. In recent years, he has increasingly devoted himself to conducting and has led various orchestras. As principal conductor of the chamber orchestra Metamorphosen Berlin, he shapes their artistic direction. In addition to his appearances as a conductor, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt also regularly performs in a dual capacity as soloist and conductor at the same time. He has released numerous recordings for renowned labels such as Sony Classical, Capriccio and Harmonia Mundi, which have been awarded the Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten-Kritik and the Diapason d'Or. In addition to his musical engagements, Schmidt is also a professor at the Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" Weimar and at the Kronberg Academy. There he teaches aspiring musicians and shares his extensive knowledge and experience. In addition, he is a member of the renowned Gropius Quartet, where he continues to pursue his passion for chamber music.