Nicolas Altstaedt

German-French cellist Nicolas Altstaedt is renowned worldwide for his creativity and versatility, in his captivating performances of repertoire on both modern and gut strings.

Awarded the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award in 2010, he performed the Schumann concerto in a highly acclaimed debut with the Vienna Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel at the Lucerne Festival. Since then he has performed regularly with leading orchestras worldwide such as the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Melbourne- and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras working with conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Andrew Davis, Andrey Boreyko, Vladimir Fedosseyev, Thomas Hengelbrock, Thomas Dausgaard, Lahav Shani, Emmanuel Krivine, Gustavo Gimeno, Dima Slobodeniouk, Fabien Gabel, Giovanni Antonini and Andrea Marcon amongst many others.

Highlights in the next seasons include performances with the Vienna Symphony and the Australian Chamber Orchestra at major European venues on tour, debuts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Helsinki and Rotterdam Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in the opening weeks of the Elbphilharmonie and as artist in residence 18/19, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, NAC Ottawa, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Basel Chamber Orchestra and Il Giardino Armonico, Hungarian National Philharmonic, NDR Hanover, MDR Leipzig, Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Concertgebouw Chamber and English Chamber Orchestra amongst others.

He returns to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Duisburg Philharmonic as artist-in-residence, SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart and Basel Symphony Orchestra.

In recital, Nicolas performs solo and with partners Fazil Say and Alexander Lonquich. He will tour both Europe and the US in 2016/17 season and will visit Istanbul, London Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw and New York Carnegie Hall amongst others.

In autumn 2017 Nicolas will tour Australia extensively as part of a Musica Viva Recital tour.

As a chamber musician, Nicolas regularly plays with Janine Jansen, Vilde Frang, Pekka Kuusisto, Antoine Tamestit, Lawrence Power, Jonathan Cohen and the Quatuor Ébène performing regularly at Salzburg Mozart and Summer Festival, Verbier, Utrecht, BBC Proms, Lucerne, Gstaad, Musikfest Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau and Stavanger.

In 2012 Nicolas has been chosen by Gidon Kremer to become his successor as the new artistic director of the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival and in 2014, Adam Fischer asked him to follow in his footsteps as Artistic Director of the Haydn Philharmonie, with whom he regularly performs at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Esterhazy Festival and will tour both China and Japan in the next season.

Nicolas premieres new music and performs with composers like Thomas Ades, Jörg Widmann, Matthias Pintscher, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly and Fazil Say. He has commissioned the pianist/composer Hauschka as part of this season as Artistic Director of „Viva Cello“ Festival in Liestal in 2016 inspired by a film script by Federico Fellini. 

To date his recordings of cello concerti by Joseph Haydn, Robert Schumann and György Ligeti have been acclaimed worldwide. Future releases include all C. P. E. Bach cello concertos with Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen, as well as a recording of Shostakovich and Weinberg concerti with DSO Berlin, Strauss’s Don Quixote and a recital CD with Fazil Say.

Nicolas Altstaedt was a BBC New Generation Artist 2010-2012 and a recipient of the „Borletti Buitoni Trust Fellowship“ in 2009. He plays a Giulio Cesare Gigli cello, Rome around 1760.

Concerts: 

Opening: STURM UND DRANG
6/9/2016

Beginnings
7/9/2016

The Heavenly Life
9/9/2016