Detmold Hochschule für Musik

Max Sommerhalder

Professor of Trumpet

Graduated from the Zurich Hochschule für Musik as a student of Henri Adelbrecht. Further studies with Pierre Thibaud (Paris), Philip Jones (London), Horst Eichler (Berlin) and others.

Principal trumpet with the Zurich Tonhalle- und Theaterorchester, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and others. Performed as a substitute or extra principal trumpet player with: Sächsische Staatskapelle, Dresden, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, SWR Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester, Berlin, National Symphony Orchestra of the Italian Radio and TV, Turin, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Deutsche Bachsolisten, La Stravaganza, Cologne, Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca, Treviso, and many others, under Ashkenazy, Barshai, Maazel, Blomstedt, Sinopoli, Dorati, Rozhdestwesky, Leinsdorf, Kondrashin, Dutoit, Kempe, Inbal, Harnoncourt, Gielen, Zinman, Eschenbach, Skrowaczewski, Baudo, Frühbeck, Celibidache.

Appeared as a soloist on four continents and made the world premiere recordings of standard works by Oskar Böhme, Vassily Brandt and others.

Gave master classes at Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo | Tchaikovsky Conservatorium, Moscow | Australian National University, Canberra | Conservatorio Real Superior , Madrid | Sydney Conservatorium | Conservatorio "Giuseppe Verdi", Milan | Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Rotterdam | Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest | Göteborgs Universitet, Gothenburg | Sibelius Academy, Helsinki | Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne | Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique, Paris, and many others.

Jury member at Munich ARD | Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatorium | Porcia | Markneukirchen | Jeju | "J.E. Altenburg" | Pilisvörösvar | Ellsworth- Smith | "Wassilij Brandt" and many other competitions.

Students carried off the following prizes and distinctions: ARD, Munich (2^nd Prize, 3^rd Prize, Prize of the Audience) | "Maurice André", Paris (2^nd Prize / no 1^st Prize awarded) | Prague Spring (overall winner) | City of Porcia (1^st Prize, 2^nd Prize) | Markneukirchen (4^th Prize) | Ellsworth-Smith (1^st Prize) | "Timofei Dokshitzer", Vilnius (2^nd Prize / no 1^st Prize awarded) | Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatorium (1^st Prize) | German Federal Youth Music Competition (3 winners) | Concertino Praga (overall winner) | Competition of the German Universities (1^st Prize, 2^nd Prize) | European Cultural Award (4 laureates).

Students or alumni hold or held the following positions (selection):
Principal trumpet: WDR Symphony, Cologne | NDR Symphony, Hamburg | NDR Radio Philharmonic, Hannover | SWR Symphony, Baden-Baden | Deutsches Symphonie Orchester, Berlin | Konzerthaus Orchestra, Berlin | Philharmonisches Staatsorchester, Halle | Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Florence | Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig (2) | Staatskapelle, Weimar | National Orchestra of the Italian Radio and TV (RAI), Turin | Göttingen Symphony (2) | Orchestra Nazionale dell'Accademia di S. Cecilia, Rome | Orquesta Sinfónica de Oviedo | Orchestra of the Palau de les Arts "Reina Sofia", Valencia | Shanghai Philharmonic (2) | Shanghai Symphony | Jeju Philharmonic | Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Recklinghausen | Taipei Symphony | Bochumer Symphoniker, Bochum (2) | Staatsorchester, Hannover | Adelaide Symphony | Orchestra del Teatro "Giuseppe Verdi", Trieste | Orchestra Victoria (Melbourne Opera) | Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR

Rank and file trumpet: Berlin Philharmonic | SWR Symphony, Baden-Baden | HR Radio Symphony, Frankfurt/M. | Saarländisches Staatsorchester, Saarbrücken

Chamber orchestras, festival orchestras, youth orchestras: Bayreuth Festival Orchestra | Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra | European Youth Orchestra | Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra | German Federal Youth Orchestra (BJO) | Pacific Festival Orchestra | World Youth Symphony Orchestra | Junges Klangforum Mitte Europa | Orchestra Mozart, Bologna

Professorships: Robert-Schumann-Hochschule, Düsseldorf | Conservatorio "Antonio Buzzolla", Adria | Fachhochschule Osnabrück