Tabea Zimmermann is a musician of extraordinary versatility. As an internationally sought-after soloist, chamber musician and educator, she has made a profound impact on musical life far beyond the concert stage. At the heart of her artistic work is the viola – both as an instrument of exceptional expressive potential and as a reflection of her deeply held artistic convictions.

A native of southern Baden, Tabea Zimmermann made her debut at the Berliner Philharmonie at the age of eleven. Major competition successes in Geneva, Paris and Budapest followed, and at just 21 she was appointed Germany’s youngest-ever professor. Teaching has remained an integral part of her work ever since; she currently teaches at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt and at the Kronberg Academy.

Contemporary music has always been a particular focus of her artistic work. Numerous works by composers including György Ligeti, Heinz Holliger, Wolfgang Rihm, Enno Poppe and Michael Jarrell have been dedicated to her or premiered by her. For Tabea Zimmermann, engaging with new music is inseparable from the continued evolution of classical approaches to interpretation. Chamber music is as central to her work as the “Play & Lead” principle, in which she leads orchestral projects from within the ensemble itself. In recent years, she has pursued this approach as Artistic Partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Bundesjugendorchester and in numerous projects with Ensemble Resonanz.

This multifaceted artistic outlook is once again reflected in her 2026/27 season, in which Tabea Zimmermann will continue to set significant artistic benchmarks on stages around the world. The season opens with a highlight of contemporary music at the Musica Festival in Strasbourg, where she performs Georges Aperghis’ Tell Tales together with the vocal ensemble EXAUDI. Further highlights include Hector Berlioz’s Harold en Italie at the Wiener Musikverein with the RSO Wien under Ingo Metzmacher, as well as a trio tour of Austria and Switzerland with her long-standing chamber music partners Isabelle Faust and Jean-Guihen Queyras. She begins 2027 with performances in Stuttgart and Freiburg, appearing with the SWR Symphonieorchester under François-Xavier Roth in York Höller’s Viola Concerto.

Spain is a particular geographical focus of the season. In Madrid, Tabea Zimmermann performs Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España under Kristiina Poska, followed by Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla under Lucas Macías. A major European trio tour with Jean-Guihen Queyras and Javier Perianes takes her to leading concert halls in Alicante, Madrid and Barcelona, followed by a duo recital tour of Italy with Javier Perianes, with performances in Turin, Siena, Rome and Florence.

International chamber music engagements and guest appearances round out the season. Highlights include a duo recital with Antoine Tamestit at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, a chamber music evening with Kirill Gerstein at the Wiener Musikverein and William Walton’s Viola Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Andris Poga. With the Kammerakademie Potsdam, she performs Bohuslav Martinů’s Rhapsody-Concerto. The season culminates in the world premiere of a new work by Milica Djordjević as part of the Bayerischer Rundfunk’s musica viva series at the Herkulessaal, with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks conducted by Brad Lubman.

Tabea Zimmermann’s outstanding contribution to music has been recognised with numerous honours, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2020, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and honorary membership of the Deutscher Musikrat. Few musicians embody artistic integrity, intellectual independence and a profound commitment to music with as much conviction as Tabea Zimmermann.