Benedict Kloeckner

“Remarkable, really remarkable, perfect playing! Absolute control of technique, intonation and color” Daniel Barenboim

“I really loved his playing” Simon Rattle

One of Germany’s most acclaimed young cellists Benedict Kloeckner (1989) is performing with renowned orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic, German Radio Philharmonic Orchestras, the NDR and Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestras, the Kremerata Baltica, Slovak Radio Orchestra and the Russian and Polish State Philharmonic Orchestras, alongside conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Howard Griffiths, Ingo Metzmacher, Michael Sanderling, Karl Heinz Steffens, Christoph Poppen and Heinrich Schiff. Championed by such maestros as Daniel Barenboim and Sir Simon Rattle, he performs across Europe, North and South America and Asia, at venues including the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York, Symphony Hall in Chicago, John. F Kennedy Center in Washington, Tonhalle Zurich, Cadogan Hall and the Barbican Centre in London, Athenäum Bukarest, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein Wien and Seoul Arts Center.

A keen chamber musician, Benedict is performing with artists such as Emanuel Ax, Yuri Bashmet, Danae Dörken, Christoph Eschenbach, Anna Fedorova, Gidon Kremer, Anne Sophie Mutter, Antoine Tamestit, the Carducci String Quartet, and Sir Andras Schiff.

Together with Noé Inui and Vassilis Varvaresos he forms the Trio Bell’arte, performing at halls such as Gasteig Munich or Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

He is a prize winner of major international competitions such as the European Broadcasting Union Award in Bratislava, the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann cello competition in Berlin, the Animato International Soloist Competition in Zurich, the “Nicolas Firmenich Prize” of the Verbier Festival (CH) and the “First Manhattan International Music Competition New York”. Furthermore he received the “European Culture Prize” awarded by the “European Culture Foundation”.

Benedict Kloeckner regularly collaborates with contemporary composers, including Eric Tanguy and Wolfgang Rihm, (whose Cello Concerto “Temptation” he performed in Munich) as well as Howard Blake, who composed a cello sonata for him. In celebration of his 75th birthday, Howard Blake invited Kloeckner to record his entire repertoire for cello and piano, with himself, for Genuin in cooperation with the SWR. Benedict opened the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2017/18 season performing two concertos, one of which was the premiere of Howard Blake’s double concerto. In 2018 he presents the world premiere of Eun-Hwa Cho’s cello concerto with the Korean Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christoph Poppen, during a 3 day concert residency at Seoul Arts Center, as well as the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s double concerto for two Cellos.

His recording catalogue includes a highly acclaimed recording of Robert Schumann’s cello concerto, nominated for the German Record Critics prize, and collaborations with Gidon Kremer, the conductors Heinrich Schiff and Michael Sanderling, the pianists José Gallardo and Anna Fedorova, and the composer and pianist Howard Blake. Future recordings include a CD with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a recital CD with Danae Dörken.

Since September 2014 Benedict Kloeckner is the artistic director and founder of the “International Music Festival Koblenz” presenting high level chamber music concerts with artists such as Vilde Frang, Tianwa Yang, Boris Giltburg and the Georgian and Munich Chamber orchestras. Benedict Kloeckner studied with Martin Ostertag, and as a young soloist of the Kronberg Academy Masters with Frans Helmerson and Gary Hoffman, graciously financed by the “Angela Winkler-Scholarship”, since October 2009. Benedict Kloeckner is also very grateful to Steven Isserlis, Gidon Kremer, Michael Sanderling, and Sir Andras Schiff for the musical insight and support they have offered for his artistic development. He plays an Italian Cello by Francesco Rugeri (Cremona 1680) kindly on loan to him by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

He wears DE FILIPPO Uomo.