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The American violist, Barbara Westphal, studied in London and New York and took her concert examination under Itzhak Perlman and Michael Tree (Guarneri Quartet). She won the only prize for solo viola in the 1983 Munich International Viola Competition (ARD), as well as the prestigious Busch Prize the same year.
From 1978 to 1985, Barbara Westphal was the violist of the highly acclaimed Delos String Quartet, First Prize Winner at the 1981 International String Quartet Competition in Colmar, France. In addition to numerous international tours with the Quartet, she recorded extensively with the ensemble both on radio and disc. In 1997, she founded the Trio Gasparo Da Salò with violinist Ani Kavafian and cellist Gustav Rivinius which immediately celebrated major successes at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. The Trio’s first CD, featuring works by Mozart and Beethoven, was recently released on the Kleos Classics label. In 2009, she founded the Bartholdy String Quintet with violinists Anke Dill and Ulf Schneider, violist Volker Jacobsen and cellist Gustav Rivinius.
Internationally acclaimed violist, Barbara Westphal concertizes regularly as soloist with orchestra and chamber musician throughout the USA, Europe, South America, and Asia. Additionally, she has appeared as a guest artist at many international music festivals and events, including: Music From Marlboro, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico, Sarasota Music Festival in Florida, Music In The Mountains, Great Lakes in Michigan (all USA), Incontri In Terra di Siena, Italy, Vaasa, Finldand, Budapest, Hungarey and Schleswig- Holsitein Festival, Germany, to name just a few.
Her recordings can be found on the Bridge, Helicon, Centaur, Wergo and CPO labels. Her own recordings on the Bridge label include Johannes Brahms's Viola Sonatas (with Ursula Oppens), Max Reger's Viola Sonatas and a recital program of works by Rebecca Clarke, Henri Vieuxtemps and George Enescu (both with Jeffrey Swann) and the six Solo Suites (BWV 1007-1012) by J.S. Bach. Fanfare magazine said of the J. Brahms CD: “This recording absolutely outshines any others that are currently available and, to me, seems worthy of comparison with the legendary Primrose. For fans of a deep viola sound full of character it is absolutely unique.” Her most recent CD, on the Centaur label, features Brazilian Music for Viola and Piano with Christian Ruvolo.
Since 1989 Barbara Westphal has held a professorship at the Lübeck College of Music in Germany. She is a much sought-after teacher whose students are engaged with top orchestras in Germany and abroad, and several of her students have won awards at international competitions. She regularly presents master-classes in Europe and the United States and serves as a judge at major competitions.
Barbara Westphal plays a viola made in 15 70 by Gasparo da Salo. |
