Sabine Meyer

Sabine Meyer is one of the most celebrated clarinetists in the world.  Meyer was solo clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.  Since then, she has performed as a soloist throughout Europe as well as in Brazil, Canada, Africa, Israel, and Australia.  Sabine Meyer was an official member of the National Youth Orchestra from 1972 to 1977.  

 

Christian Tetzlaff

Equally at home in the Classical, Romantic, and Modern repertoire, Christian Tetzlaff sets new standards with his interpretations of violin concertos from Beethoven to Ligeti.  He has received numerous awards and honors; “Musical America” named him “Instrumentalist of the Year” in 2005.  He was a violinist in the National Youth Orchestra from 1979 to 1982.

 

Reinhold Friedrich

Reinhold Friedrich played trumpet in the National Youth Orchestra in 1977.  He studied at the Hochschule for Music in Karlsruhe, where he is now a professor.  Since his triumph at the ARD Competition in Munich in 1986, he has been in constant demand as a soloist, both in Germany and abroad.  His mastery extends from early music on original instruments to the newest solo literature.  

 

Tabea Zimmermann

Tabea Zimmermann began to study the viola at the age of three, and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra from 1981 to 1984.  Today she is regularly a guest soloist with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony.  Contemporary music is an important part of her repertoire.  Zimmermann has introduced numerous works into the concert and chamber music literature.  

 

Gerd Albrecht

When Gerd Albrecht was appointed General Music Director in Lübeck in 1962, he was the youngest conductor ever to hold such a position in Germany.  It was the beginning of a remarkable career, taking him to Kassel, Berlin, Zurich, Prague, Tokyo – and to the National Youth Orchestra, to which he has returned again and again.  One of his most important goals is to convey the thrill of music to young listeners.  He founded the Hamburg Young People’s Music Foundation as well as “Sound Museums” in Hamburg and Berlin.