Nicolas Koeckert – Rode : 12 Etudes for Violin Solo / Duos for 2 Violins/NK2

Nicolas Koeckert (Germany)
Rode
12 Etudes for Violin Solo / Duos for 2 Violins
by Pierre Rode and Nicolas Koeckert

Nicolas Koeckert, violinist of German, Brazilian and part Jewish descent, was born in Munich to a well-known family of musicians. He has performed at major venues internationally since many years. His expressive and passionate interpretations, combined with technical mastery and warm tone, have enthralled both audiences and the press.

Having already won first prize in the Novosibirsk International Violin Competition in 2001, along with the award for the best interpretation of the set work and the prize for cultural excellence from the city of Novosibirsk, Nicolas Koeckert became the first German prize-winner at the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In the same year, the state of Bavaria marked his exceptional achievements as a violinist by awarding him its prize for artistic development. In 2003, he was a prize-winner in the Montreal International Music Competition and he took the second prize in the International Liana Isakadze Competition in St. Petersburg.

Nicolas has worked with renowned conductors including Lawrence Foster, Sir Colin Davis, Michail Jurowski, John Neschling, Jonathan Nott, Asher Fisch, José Serebrier, Christoph Poppen, Saulius Sondeckis, Andris Nelsons, Theodor Guschlbauer, Ari Rasilainen, Ira Levin, Nicholas Milton, Ed Spanjaard, Victor Pablo Pérez, Fabio Mechetti, Marc Piollet, Emil Tabakov, Osvaldo Ferreira, Gabriel Feltz and Markus Poschner. He has performed worldwide with leading orchestras, including the Montreal Symphony, Russian National Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, KBS Symphony, German Radio Philharmonic Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, as well as the São Paulo Symphony, Brazil Symphony, National Theatre Symphony Brasilia, Zagreb Philharmonic, Norrköping Symphony, Limburg Symphony, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Cappella Istropolitana, Munich Chamber Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Symhony. As a chamber musician, Nicolas Koeckert has collaborated with artists including Liana Isakadze, Ivan Monigetti, Jan Vogler, Milana Chernjavska, Rudolf Koeckert, Ben Kim, Danjulo Ishizaka and his current pianist, Kristina Miller-Koeckert.

Nicolas Koeckert gained his foundation in violin-playing from the Russian teacher Olga Voitowa. At age 16, he commenced his violin studies with Professor Grigori Zhislin at the University of Music Würzburg. From 1998, these continued with Professor Zakhar Bron at the Cologne University of Music, where he received his Master of Music degree with Distinction following a final performance in 2007.

Nicolas Koeckert has now formed a close partnership with the Naxos label. In the meantime, he has assembled an extensive, prize-winning discography, including his recording of Russian and Slavonic Miniatures arranged by Fritz Kreisler which was selected as “The Strad” magazine’s recording of the month. CD releases have included arrangements by Igor Frolov, with pianist Kristina Miller-Koeckert, as well as recordings of Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto and Concerto-Rhapsody with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under José Serebrier – a recording that Naxos chose as CD of the Month and which, for a long time, ranked third on their best-sellers list. His latest CD release, of Studies for Solo Violin and for Violin Duet by Pierre Rode, paired him with his father Rudolf Koeckert. Nicolas Koeckert has also been presented in numerous radio and television recordings around the world.

For several years, Nicolas has regularly taught and given masterclasses, at home and abroad. He took up a Professorship at the Konservatorium Wien University, starting in the winter term 2011. He is appointed in 2014 as “Honorary Artist-Faculty Member” of the Hong Kong Music and Performing School.

Nicolas Koeckert plays on a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from Milano.