HENJA SEMMLER - Violin

Henja Semmler, born in Berlin, studied with Rainer Kussmaul, Thomas Brandis and Gerhard Schulz. Her studies were generously supported by the German National Academic Foundation, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Deutscher Musikinstrumentenfonds. Laureate of such competitions as the Louis Spohr Competition, German Music Competition, National Competition of the German conservatories and the Premio Franco Gulli, she has performed in Europe, the United States and Japan. As a member of different chamber music ensembles with partners including Kolja Blacher, Tabea Zimmermann, Wolfram Christ, Natalia Gutman, Jens-Peter Maintz and Jörg Widmann, Semmler has appeared at such festivals as the Berliner Festwochen, Rheingau Musikfestival, Lucerne Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.

Henja Semmler gave her debut as a soloist in the Philharmonie of Berlin at the age of 17. She has also appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Weimar, World Youth Orchestra and Davos Festival Orchestra. A founding member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Semmler collaborated regularly with conductors including Claudio Abbado, Daniel Harding, Andris Nelsons and Pierre Boulez. As a guest-concertmaster, she has been invited to the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Henja taught her own violin class at the Rostock University of Music, until she became a professor of violin at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna in 2018. Since 2023, she has been professor of violin at the University of Music and Theatre Rostock. Semmler has taught numerous master classes and participated in the juries for international competitions.

Contact: henja@oberontrio.com