Chamber music with Berliner Philharmoniker soloists

The musician won first prize at the competitions in Duino, Kobe and Geneva before becoming principal flautist of the Berlin Philharmonic at the age of just 22 during the Abbado era. Emmanuel Pahud has also enjoyed an international career as a soloist and chamber musician. He regularly performs with the wind ensemble Les Vents Français, which also includes François Leleux, Paul Meyer, Gilbert Audin and Radovan Vlatković. A UNICEF ambassador, he founded the renowned Musique à L'Empéri festival in Salon-de-Provence with Eric Le Sage and Paul Meyer in 1993. He is also the winner of the 2024 Léonie Sonning Music Prize.

After graduating with honours and winning several prizes, the Innsbruck native began his career as principal clarinettist at the Vienna Volksoper at the age of 19, before moving to the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra after five years as principal clarinettist, and then to the Berliner Philharmoniker in the same position. In addition to his work in the orchestra, Wenzel Fuchs is active as a soloist and chamber musician. He was a professor at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music (2008-2012) and has been a professor at the Mozarteum University since 2015. He also teaches at the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and gives masterclasses worldwide.

At eleven, he moved to Lübeck to study with Zakhar Bron, before continuing his studies with Rainer Kussmaul, who was then first concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker, in Freiburg. At the age of just 30, Kashimoto himself became first concertmaster of this orchestra. He also performs regularly as a soloist - with the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden and, of course, with the Berliner Philharmoniker. As a sought-after chamber musician, he performs in the world’s leading concert halls, with a broad repertoire ranging from baroque works to contemporary music.

In 1985, Ludwig Quandt passed his diploma examination in Lübeck and two years later his concert examination - with honours. Masterclasses with Boris Pergamenschikow, Zara Nelsova, Maurice Gendron, Wolfgang Boettcher and Siegfried Palm completed his training. Ludwig Quandt, winner of the ARD International Music Competition, played with the Berliner Philharmoniker for two years before becoming the orchestra's principal cellist in 1993. He also performs worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician, for example with the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Philharmonic Stradivari Soloists.

Eric Le Sage won first prizes at the Porto International Piano Competition (1985) and the International Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau (1989). He performs with famous orchestras all over the world, but also often shares the stage as a chamber musician with musicians such as François Leleux, Lise Berthaud, Daishin Kashimoto and Sandrine Piau. In 1993, Eric Le Sage founded the Musique à L'Empéri festival in Salon-de-Provence with Emmanuel Pahud and Paul Meyer. He has been a professor at the University of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau since 2010.