The violist Tabea Zimmermann is an internationally sought-after soloist, chamber musician and teacher who shapes the musical landscape far beyond the concert platform. One of her particular focuses is on exploring contemporary compositions, an endeavour that she views as closely linked to the further development of classical approaches to interpretation. Numerous works by composers such as György Ligeti, Heinz Holliger, Wolfgang Rihm, Enno Poppe and Michael Jarrell have been dedicated to and premiered by her.
Chamber music is just as important to her as the ‘Play-Lead’ principle, in which she directs orchestral projects from within the ensemble. In the 2025/26 season she appeared in this role with Ensemble Resonanz and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. Other season highlights included performances of Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the Oslo Philharmonic under Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the world premiere of Georges Aperghis’s Tell Tales at the Donaueschingen Music Festival. She continued her artistic partnerships with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the pianist Thomas Hoppe and toured with Javier Perianes and the Belcea Quartet.
As a resident artist she has so far appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. She was also Artiste Étoile at the 2025 Lucerne Festival, where her appearances included the Swiss premiere of Dieter Ammann’s viola concerto No templates.
Her extensive discography was enhanced in November 2025 by a recording of Enescu’s String Octet with Ensemble Resonanz, released by Harmonia Mundi.
As President of the Swiss Hindemith Foundation and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation she plays an active role in shaping cultural policy processes. In addition, she supports music projects through the David Shallon Foundation, which she established. She has received numerous honours for her commitment, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and honorary membership of the German Music Council.
Tabea Zimmermann comes from South Baden and made her debut at the age of eleven at the Berlin Philharmonie. Major competition triumphs followed in Geneva, Paris and Budapest, before at the age of 21 she was appointed Germany’s youngest professor. She currently teaches at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt and at the Kronberg Academy.
