President
Prof. Julius Berger
Germany
For more than 40 years it is hardly to imagine the music scene without the cellist from Augsburg. Not just because he is a splendid performer that has been titled “the Prophet of cello” (W.-E.v.Lewinsky) by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung after his second recording of Bachs’ Cello-Suites: Julius Berger enriched the music world in diverse ways, as a performer, a teacher, an explorer and a thinker that doesn’t like beaten paths.
Bergers’ formative teachers were Fritz Kiskalt (Munich, Germany), Antonio Janigro (Salzburg, Austria), of whom he was the assistant for many years, and Zara Nelsova (Cincinnati, USA) . He had close contact with Mstislav Rostropovich, where he took studies initially and with whom he had numerous concert afterwards.
Important impulses for Berger’s artistic life came from collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Olivier Messiaen, Sofia Gubaidulina and Gidon Kremer, who invited him numerous times to the Kammermusikfestival at Lockenhaus (Austria).
Julius Berger is requested as a solist and an instrumentalist wordwide, recorded various CDs and educates young talents. A lot of his former students are already acting as professors or solo-cellists in well-known orchestras, e.g. the Leipziger Gewandhausorchester.
That Julius Berger does not make a difference between the historical and the contemporary, but rather, in the sense of his teacher and friend Mstislav Rostropovich seeks the contact to living composers and promotes the emergence of new works by assignments and premieres certainly belongs to his great merits. Recent examples include works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Franghiz Ali-Zhadeh, Adriana Hölszky, Manuela Kerer, Krzysztof Meyer, Wilhelm Killmayer, Johannes X. Schachtner, Markus Schmitt, Giovanni Bonato, Hong Jun Seo, and others. In 2014 Julius Berger, together with his wife Hyun-Jung, they have premiered “Two Paths” by Sofia Gubaidulina for two violoncellos and orchestras at the “Seoul International Festival”. The work was performed as a European premiere at the Beethovenfest Bonn 2015.
Julius Berger also made an important contribution to the literature of his instrument by rediscovering and recording the works of Luigi Boccherini and Leonardo Leo as well as the oldest literature for violincello solo by Gabrielli and degli Antonii. He is at the same time editor of most of the works in exemplary Urtext editions.
Recently Julius Berger devoted himself mainly to researching the intellectual background of large standard works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and others. In his series “From the Idea to the Work” at the University of Augsburg, which he initiated, he develops language, sound, and historical references.
For many years, Julius Berger has been the artistic director of the festivals in Eckelshausen (Germany) and Asiago (Italy) and President of the International Instrumental Competition Markneukirchen (Germany).
In 2009, he was appointed a full member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz.
Julius Berger is looking for relaxation in the mountains. He is a passionate photographer and author of poems.
Jury violin 2027
Prof. Paul Roczek
Austria
Prof. Min Kim
South Korea
A leading violinist representing Korea, Min Kim is highly respected for his versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and music director. He graduated from the Staatlische Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg, where he studied under the guidance of Prof. Brandis. Upon his return to Korea, Min Kim was appointed the concertmaster of the Korean Philharmonic Orchestra and then the KBS Symphony Orchestra, two of the preeminent orchestras of the country.
As artistic director of Korean Chamber Orchestra, Min Kim has appeared in more than 1,000 concerts worldwide, including many of the major international festivals such as Rheingau Festival, Beethoven Easter Festival, Naantali Festival, and George Enescu Festival, the Mozart Festival Würzburg etc. He has also served as a member of the jury in numerous international competitions. Among them are and the Queen Elizabeth International Competition twice and the Sendai, Leopold-Mozart and China International Competitions; Seoul International Music Concour, Spohr International Competition etc. He was Artistic Director of Seoul International Music Festival (2011-2015).
His contributions to international music education and cultural exchange were recognized by several prestigious awards, such as the Una Vita per la Musica from the President of Italy and the Merit of Culture from the Republic of Poland. In addition, He was selected by president of Korea as an artist who contributes to art and culture in 2015 and won the grand prize of culture from "The 10th Daewon Music Awards" and won the grand prize of “Planning Division for 21st Century Managers”. Min Kim was elected a vice president of the National Academy of Arts of Korea and won “Korean Culture and Arts Award” from Korea Culture Ministry.
Currently he is a professor emeritus of Seoul National University and Member of The National Academy of Arts, Republic of Korea. Also, he is the Music Director of both the Korean Chamber Orchestra and the Isang-Yun Ensemble.
Prof. Nurit Stark
Israel
Prof. Yuzuko Horigome
Japan
Prof. Lena Neudauer
Germany
Prof. Jakub Jakowicz
Polen
Prof. Baiba Skride
Latvia
Jury double bass 2027
Prof. Frithjof Martin Grabner
Germany
Prof. Miloslav Jelínek
Czech Republic
Prof. Nina Valcheva
Bulgaria
Nina Valcheva was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She attended the conservatoires in Sofia and Stuttgart (in Prof. Lau’s class), where she graduated with distinction. Following an internship at the Württemberg State Opera in Stuttgart and a temporary contract with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, she held permanent positions as principal double bassist with the Lübeck Philharmonic Orchestra and at the National Theatre in Mannheim. Since September 2011, she has been deputy principal double bassist with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and, since 2022, a member of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra. Guest appearances with many renowned orchestras, including the WDR and NDR Symphony Orchestras, as well as various chamber ensembles, have taken her throughout Europe and Asia. Nina Valcheva has been teaching on a lecturing contract since 2007 and, since 2023, as a professor at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart.
Prof. Dominik Greger
Germany
Prof. Dominik Greger was born in Altenburg in 1980. He initially received his musical training as a cellist and was a pupil in Prof. Wolfgang Weber’s class for young students at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music in Leipzig. He subsequently switched to the double bass and completed his degree and concert examination under Prof. Horst-Dieter Wenkel at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar. He gained further artistic inspiration through masterclasses with Wolfgang Güttler, Klaus Stoll and Norbert Brainin. During his studies, he received support through a scholarship from the PE-Förderkreis Mannheim.
He attracted attention at an early stage through numerous competition successes. His awards include, amongst others, third prize and the prize for the best interpretation of the set piece *Invocation* by Miroslav Gajdoš at the 2nd International Johann-Matthias-Sperger Competition (2002), reaching the semi-finals of the 52nd International ARD Competition (2003), the Encouragement Prize from the Carl Flesch Academy in Baden-Baden, and second prize at the Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition (2005).
As a soloist, he has performed with, amongst others, the Altenburg-Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Budweis Philharmonic, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic and the Staatskapelle Weimar.
From 2005 to 2007, he was principal double bassist with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, and subsequently, from 2008 to 2011, principal double bassist with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. Since 2009, he has been Professor of Double Bass at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar.
In addition, he regularly appears as a guest principal double bassist with renowned orchestras, including the MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Bavarian State Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Dresden Philharmonic, the SWR Symphony Orchestra and the WDR Symphony Orchestra.
Prof. Graham Mitchell
Great Britain
Graham Mitchell is the Head of Strings and the Serge Koussevitzky Senior Professor of Double Bass at the Royal Academy of Music and double bassist with the Nash Ensemble.
He was a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1998-2011 then was section principal of the English National Opera Orchestra from 2011-2022. He is a regular guest with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. As a guest section principal, Graham has led most of the orchestras in the UK including the London Symphony Orchestra and orchestras abroad including the Royal Concertgebouw, SWR Stuttgart, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Leipzig Gewandhaus.
Graham has performed and recorded over the years with many soloists and chamber ensembles including Thomas Adés, Anthony Marwood, James Crabb, Pekka Kuusisto, Imogen Cooper and Hilary Hahn; the Florestan, Gould, and Kungsbacka Piano trios; and the Belcea, Navarra, Elias, and Takács quartets.
In 2007 Graham was invited by Steven Isserlis to perform at the IMS Prussia Cove Chamber Festival followed by a national tour and concert at Wigmore Hall. This resulted in IMS Prussia Cove winning the chamber prize at the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. His recording of Schubert’s Trout Quintet with Paul Lewis and the Leopold String Trio was praised as 'one of the finest modern Trouts available' (The Sunday Times).
Graham plays on a 1750 double bass attributed to Testore. He is extremely thankful to the Stradivari Trust for their support.