Benedict Kloeckner, cello
Benedict Kloeckner, born in 1989, is one of the outstanding artists of his generation. He has won numerous competitions and awards, most recently the OPUS Klassik 2021.
He performs worldwide as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie, the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, the NDR Radiophilharmonie, the MDR-Sinfonieorchester, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, the Kremerata Baltica, the Camerata Oslo and the Munich Chamber Orchestra and works with renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Cristian Măcelaru, Ingo Metzmacher, Michael Sanderling, Clemens Schuldt, Heinrich Schiff and Sir Simon Rattle.
He has appeared in concert halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall New York, Kennedy Center Washington, Symphony Hall Chicago, Arts Center Seoul, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Musikverein Vienna, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Tonhalle Zurich, Gasteig in Munich, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Rudolfinum Prague, Athenaeum Bucharest and the Wigmore Hall London.
In the 2022/2023 season he performed all 6 Bach Suites at the Berlin Philharmonie and the Alte Oper Frankfurt.
In the 2023/2024 season he will also make his debut at the Philharmonie Paris and the Kölner Philharmonie and return to Kennedy Center Washington, Festspielhaus Baden- Baden and several times to Philharmonie Berlin. Among others, he will be also on Europe tour with the Romanian Chamber Orchestra conducted by Cristian Măcelaru and give his debut with the Armenian National Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev.
Benedict Kloeckner is a welcome guest at festivals all over the world.
His chamber music partners have included Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Yuri Bashmet, Christoph Eschenbach, Vilde Frang, Gidon Kremer, Anne Sophie Mutter and Sir András Schiff.
Benedict Kloeckner regularly works with the great composers of our time. In 2018 he performed the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Double Concerto for 2 Cellos and Strings. At the Seoul Arts Center, he premiered Eun Hwa Cho’s Cello Concerto together with the Korean Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Christoph Poppen. With the Mozarteum Orchestra under Peter Tilling, he also gave the Austrian premiere of Dai Fujikura’s Cello Concerto in Salzburg.
His CD recordings have been highly praised by the international press and won prizes such as the OPUS Klassik award and the Supersonic Award, among others.
His recordings were made in collaboration with artists such as Gidon Kremer, the conductors Heinrich Schiff and Michael Sanderling, the pianists Danae Dörken, Anna Fedorova, Yu Kosuge, Mario Häring, Ragna Schirmer und José Gallardo, the violinists Kirill Troussov, Ragnhild Hemsing and the composer Wolfgang Rihm. Most recently in 2023, he released a CD with Brahms Cello Sonatas with YU Kosuge on Sony.
Since 2014, Benedict Kloeckner has been also the founder and artistic director of the “International Music Festival Koblenz” IMUKO.
Benedict Kloeckner received his artistic education from Martin Ostertag at the Karlsruhe University of Music and from Frans Helmerson and Gary Hoffman at the Kronberg Academy, made possible by the Angela Winkler Scholarship. He received important impulses and valuable support for his artistic development from Gidon Kremer, Steven Isserlis, Michael Sanderling and Sir András Schiff.
He gives masterclasses around the world and taught at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe.
Benedict Kloeckner plays the “Ex Maurice Gendron” cello by Francesco Ruggeri (1680), a generous loan.