Tabea Zimmermann

Tabea Zimmermann, born on 8 October 1966 in Lahr, is a German violist. She began learning to play the viola at the age of three, and commenced piano studies at age five. At the age of 13, she studied viola with Ulrich Koch at the Conservatory of Freiburg and progressed to study with Sándor Végh at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. She soon gained notice in international competitions, winning first prizes in Genève, Budapest, and the Maurice Vieux International Viola Competition in Paris for which she was awarded a superb instrument made by contemporary luthier Étienne Vatelot which she has played in her worldwide concert tours ever since. As a soloist she has performed with numerous major orchestras, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, under the baton of noted conductors including Kurt Masur, Bernard Haitink, Christoph Eschenbach, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and others. Tabea Zimmermann is likewise actively involved in chamber music, having performed with Gidon Kremer, Heinz Holliger, Hartmut Höll, Steven Isserlis, and Pamela Frank at numerous festivals.