PortraitCelloR7B0037-KopieBorn 1954 in Berne, internationally renowned soloist, composer and teacher Thomas Demenga counts among the most outstanding cellists and musicians of our time. He has performed at important festivals and musical centres worldwide, and given numerous concerts with fellow musicians such as Heinz Holliger, Gidon Kremer, Thomas Larcher, Hansheinz Schneeberger, Tabea Zimmermann and Paul Meyer. Demenga has played as soloist with distinguished orchestras such as the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester, Boston Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, ORF-Symphonieorchester Wien, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Zürcher Kammerorchester.

Thomas Demenga’s artistic work is determined by intensive confrontation with different historical eras and styles of interpretation and composition. He dedicates himself with particular intensity to New Music and is also active as an improviser. Thus his individual voice as a composer and interpreter of 20th and 21st century works (among them important premieres) gives a new and complementary dimension to both the historical performance practice of baroque music and his virtuoso interpretations of the classical and romantic repertoire. Since 1980 Thomas Demenga has led a class for students and soloists at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel.

In August 2000 he was composer-in-residence at the Davos Festival Young Artists in Concert, and was subsequently appointed artistic director of the festival. In 2006 he gave up this position in order to commit himself fully to performing and composing again. In summer 2003, Demenga participated in the Lucerne Festival as “artiste étoile.” Since 2012 he has been the artistic director of Camerata Zurich. Thomas Demenga’s work is documented impressively on a number of CD recordings on the ECM New Series label. He plays the 1669 Andrea Guarneri ex-Soyer cello, formerly played by David Soyer of the Guarneri Quartet.

Visit his website: www.thomasdemenga.ch

Photo by Ismael Lorenzo