Julia Rebekka Adler (née Mai; born 1978) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

and

viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; ) is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with additional sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. Structure and sound The viola d'amore shar ...

player.

Early life and education

Julia Rebekka Mai was born in 1978 in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. She started playing viola at the age of six with Ute-Christine Elfert in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

. Having won first prize at

Jugend musiziert ''Jugend musiziert'' is a music competition for children and adolescents in Germany on regional, federal and national level. ''Jugend musiziert'' in Germany In Germany, the nationwide competition refers to young adults up to 20 years and for t ...

(Federal German competition for young musicians), she was invited to participate at the Interlochen Arts Camp and the

Aspen Music Festival and School The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a European classical music, classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music stu ...

. From 1994 to 2000, she studied with

Kim Kashkashian Kim Kashkashian (born August 31, 1952) is an American violist. She has spent her career in the U.S. and Europe and collaborated with many major contemporary composers. In 2013 she won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. She i ...

, Johannes Lüthy, and Wolfram Christ at the

Hochschule für Musik Freiburg The Hochschule für Musik Freiburg ("University of Music Freiburg or Freiburg Conservatory of Music") is a public music academy subsidized by the State of Baden-Württemberg for academic research and artistic and pedagogical training in music. ...

in Freiburg. In 2004, she took master classes with Walter Levin and

Yuri Bashmet Yuri Abramovich Bashmet (born 24 January 1953) is a Russian conductor, violinist, and violist. Biography Yuri Bashmet was born on 24 January 1953 in Rostov-on-Don in the family of Abram Borisovich Bashmet and Maya Zinovyeva Bashmet (née Kri ...

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. She finished her soloist-studies with Hartmut Rohde at the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

with highest honors in 2007. From 1992 to 1997, she held a scholarship from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. In 2002, Adler was awarded with the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize for viola. She later held scholarships in the Bundesauswahl junger Künstler in both 2004 and 2005.

Career

In 1994, she recorded her first CD, playing Viola Concerto No.1 by

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

as soloist with the Landesjugendorchester Baden-Württemberg. She has appeared as soloist with the Baden-Badener Philharmonie, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, the Philharmonisches Kammerorchester München, and the Philharmonia of the Nations directed by Justus Frantz. Adler played at the Donaueschingen Festival, in projects of the Pellegrini-Quartett, and performed with artists such as Stéphane Picard, Tim Vogler, David Geringas,

Antje Weithaas Antje Weithaas (born 1966) is a German classical violinist. Apart from solo recitals and chamber music performances, she has played with leading orchestras in Europe, Asia and the United States. Career Born in Guben, Weithaas studied at the ...

, Wen-Sinn-Yang, Julius Berger, Karl Leister, and Hans-Jörg Schellenberger. In 2001, she was awarded both special prizes at the Gerhard Taschner Competition, and won 2nd prize with the Kuss Quartet at the International String Quartet Competition in

Banff, Alberta Banff is a resort town in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Calgary, east of Lake Louise, Alberta, Lake Louise, and above Banff was the first municipality to incorporate within ...

. In 2004, she was rated best German violist in the

ARD International Music Competition The ARD International Music Competition () is the largest international classical music competition in Germany. It is organised by the Bayerischer Rundfunk and is held once a year in Munich, usually in September. Since its inception in 1952, it h ...

, receiving the Theodor Rogler Prize. She has been co-soloist of the

Munich Philharmonic The Munich Philharmonic () is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orche ...

and was a member of the Kuss Quartet and the Ensemble Viardot. She performs with the Solistenoktett Berlin (a string octet with Latica Honda-Rosenberg and Jens Peter Maintz, among others), and plays in duo with the Russian pianist

Jascha Nemtsov Jascha and Yascha are Yiddish or German language spellings of the East Slavic name Yasha, a diminutive of Yakov, or Jacob. Notable people with the name include: * Jascha Brodsky (1907–1997), Russian-American violinist * Jascha Franklin-Hodge ( ...

. In 2009, she recorded the four viola sonatas by

Mieczysław Weinberg Mieczysław Weinberg (December 8, 1919 – February 26, 1996) was a Polish, Soviet, and Russian composer and pianist. Born in Warsaw to parents who worked in the Yiddish theatre in Poland, his early years were surrounded by music. He taught him ...

. Since 2016, Adler has been co-principal violist with the

, a member of the 'Berliner Solistenoktett' and a professor for viola at the

References

External links

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Julia Rebekka Adler is a NEOS recording artist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Julia Rebekka Aspen Music Festival and School alumni German classical violists German women violists Mendelssohn Prize winners Living people 1978 births Musicians from Heidelberg Hochschule für Musik Freiburg alumni Academic staff of the Berlin University of the Arts Players of the Munich Philharmonic