The Musicians
Making music in ensemble – at a high level and in a relaxed atmosphere: That was why musician friends from among colleagues in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra got together for the first time in 1999 at the "Landsberger Sommermusiken". At the end of the first demonstration of this small but refined festival of chamber music; the desire for further concerts in this style - and with this same group of musicians - at other times of the year, was expressed. The 'Ensemble Berlin' was born.
Soon afterwards the Bavarian Broadcasting Company transmitted a live recording and, because of numerous concert appearances, a growing public audience became aware of the 7 members group – all over Germany and abroad. In 2006 the ensemble introduced itself in the Berlin Philharmonic to the friends of chamber music in the capital city and furthermore played at the Mozart festival in Würzburg. Concerts all over Europe, China and Japan followed. In the meantime several CDs document the vibrating and highly co-ordinated style of playing of this ‘Ensemble Berlin’ – as also its growing repertoire.
There are no restrictions in our programme. Together with original compositions for chamber music from classical, romantic and modern music – further musical adaptations also form an additional point of emphasis in this artistic work. To date, a whole series of musical jewels has resulted from the exceptionally fertile collaboration of the Berlin Orchesters’ musicians with the arranger Wolfgang Renz. These arrangements which have been expressly set down for the ‘Ensemble’, offer both listeners and interpretive performers hitherto unknown varieties in sound and, - over and above this, open up completely new aspects of current interpretations of repertoire.
The inspirational sources of all the activities of the ensemble are, and always have been, the “Landsberger Sommermusiken”. Here the group opens itself its own new repertoire in a naturally relaxed manner – the amount of pure enjoyment contained in this expression becomes audible in the concert hall. It is not at all seldom that this effect continues to be felt long afterwards on long evenings at the camp fire with the hosts and hostesses.
This in the good tradition of the Landsberg Domincan Sisters (Landsberger Dominikanerinnen), which have firmly locked their visit to Berlin in their hearts.
The violinist Philipp Bohnen (born 1983) has been a member of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2008. During his studies with Prof. Stephan Picard and Prof. Antje Weithaas at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin, Bohnen won the first national prize in "Jugend Musiziert" and second prize at the Ibolyka Gyarfas violin competition. In addition he has been a scholarship holder of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben since 2004 and plays a violin from Giovanni Battista Guadagnani (Milan 1756) on loan from the instrument fund.
As a soloist and chamber musician Philipp Bohnen has played at festivals such as the Euriade Podium of the Orpheo Festival in the Netherlands as well as at the Beethoven Festival in Venezuela and at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 2005.
Bohnen has played with orchestras such as the Niederrheinische Kammerorchester, the Hamburger Camerata, the Haydn Orchestra Hamburg and the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.
As an avid chamber musician Philipp Bohnen gladly accepted the call of the Ensemble Berlin.
Cornelia Gartemann received her first violin instruction at the age of six. She was only 15 when she entered the Detmold Musikhochschule and following graduation continued her studies with Thomas Christian. She also participated in master classes given by, among others, Saschko Gawriloff, Rainer Kussmaul, Herman Krebbers and Yfrah Neaman. Cornelia Gartemann has won prizes at various national and international competitions and has received grants from the Jürgen Ponto Foundation, the German Music Foundation (Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben) and the German Music Council. At concerts and festivals in Germany, other European countries and Asia, she has appeared as both a solo violinist and in chamber music. Since 2004 Cornelia Gartemann is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and joined the Ensemble Berlin during the season of 2009/2010.
Christoph von der Nahmer, born in Wuppertal in 1975, started playing the violin when he was five years old. Ten years later he was honoured with the second prize at the national youth music competition 'Jugend musiziert'. In 1991, he successfully made his debut as a soloist in his home town. In 1997, while still a student with Thomas Brandis, the long-standing First Concert Master of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, he was taken on to this orchestra. The following year he passed the concert examination at the Berlin University of Arts. As a scholarship holder of the World Youth Orchestra he was able to gather international experience at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Beside his work as an orchestral musician, Christoph von der Nahmer is also performing as a soloist with several well-known orchestras, for example the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra. He was awarded the Mozart Prize of the City of Baden-Baden. Beside being with the Berlin Ensemble, he is also a member of the Ten Violins of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Martin von der Nahmer was born in Wuppertal in 1978. At the age of eleven he changed from the violin to the viola and was taught by Konrad Grahe in Essen. Very early he devoted himself to chamber music. In 1995, he was awarded the first prize of the national youth music competition 'Jugend musiziert', and the second prize at the international 'Charles Hennen Concours'. Concert tours to the USA and Japan followed. Great attention was drawn to the young viola soloist due to his performances with the Philharmonica Hungarica in 1998, and also during the tour with the NRW Youth Orchestra in 1999. That year he began his studies with Hartmut Rohde at the Berlin University of Arts, where he graduated with distinction in 2004, to be taken on by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Beside his engagement as an orchestra and chamber musician he works as an assistant teacher at his former university.
The cellist Clemens Weigel has belonged to the Berlin Ensemble right from its founding day. He was born in Würzburg in 1968. He started as a junior student at the Trossingen Musical College before he began his violoncello studies with André Navarra at the Vienna College of Music in 1987. After Navarra's death, Clemens Weigel continued his studies with Walter Nothas in Munich, where he received his Master Class Diploma in 1994. The same year he was awarded the first prize at the International Music Competition in Finale Ligure, Italy. As a member of the 'Landesjugendorchester Baden-Württemberg' and the 'Bundesjugendorchester' he gained early experience as an orchestra musician. Since 1993, Clemens Weigel has been a member of the 'Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz' Orchestra in Munich. Beside working as a soloist, he is also a member of the well-known Rodin Quartet, which have been performing their own chamber concert series at the Munich Residenz for years.
The double-bass player Ulrich Wolff, another founding member, provides the solid sound foundation of the Berlin Ensemble. Born in Wuppertal in 1955, he studied with Rainer Zepperitz in Berlin and joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra led by Herbert von Karajan in 1978. In 1980 he joined the Stuttgart Radio Symphonic Orchestra under Sergiu Celibidache as a soloist. In 1985 he returned to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1997 to 1999 he was a member of the orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival. As a chamber musician he has performed with Isaac Stern, Krystian Zimmermann, the Auryn Quartet, the Philharmonia Quartet and others – in the field of Old Music with the Cologne Musica Antiqua Ensemble and Reinhard Goebel. Ulrich Wolff has also been teaching master courses at the Gustav Mahler Academy in Potenza, Italy, since its foundation in 2005, initiated by Claudio Abbado.
The oboist Christoph Hartmann, born in 1965, comes from Landsberg on the river Lech. He began his musical training as a visiting student with Georg Fischer at the Augsburg Leopold Mozart Conservatory. He continued his studies with Günther Passin and completed his training with the Master Class Diploma for oboe and chamber music at the Munich College of Music, where he worked as a teacher after his graduation. His career as an orchestra musician started with his engagement as a soloist with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra in 1991. Only a year later he was taken on as an oboist by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He also regularly performs as a soloist and teaches at the Orchestral Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Together with orchestra colleagues he initiated the chamber music festival 'Landsberger Sommermusiken' in 1999.
Born in 1982 in Israel, bassoonist Mor Biron is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2007 and a member of the Ensemble Berlin since 2009. He studied at the Jerusalem Academy for Music and Dance and at the Academy for Music „Hanns Eisler“ in Berlin with professors such as Klaus Thunemann and Volker Tessmann. Even before joining the Berlin Philharmonic Mor Biron played already in some top orchestras. He was a member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado, he held a scholarship at the Karajan Academy, in the season of 2006/07 he was solo bassoonist of the Orquesta Del Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia and since 2000 he is a member of the West Eastern Divan Orchestra founded by Daniel Barenboim who invited him to play as a soloist with this orchestra. Mor Biron is a laureate of several competitions. He won the 1st prize of the Aviv-Competition in Tel Aviv and won a scholarship of the Amrica-Israel Cultural Foundation. Being multilateral as he is, making chamber music was from early age on Mor’s passion, so that from now on he will bring new impulse to the Ensemble Berlin.
