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The German pianist, Birgitta Wollenweber, received her first piano lessons in 1968. In 1982, she commenced piano studies at the Music Academy of Detmold under Professor Renate Kretschmar-Fischer (student of Conrad Hansen) and completed her studies in 1986 with the State piano teacher examination with distinction. She was Award winner of the Federal German Chopin Competition Darmstadt in 1987, and received her Artistic diploma with distinction in 1988 the Promotion award by the Hannover Chopin Society, First Prize of the Chopin Competition of the Kurd Aschenbrenner Foundation in Cologne, First Prize of the GEDOK Interpreter Competition. She attended international master-classes under Hans Leygraf, Halina Czerny-Stefanska and Bruno-Leonardo Gelber, as well as under Gerhard Oppitz for the study of L.v. Beethoven´s piano opus in the house of Wilhelm Kempff in Positano. In 1988-1989 she studes at the Royal College of Music, London under Peter Wallfish with a DAAD scholarship Joy Scott-Prize of the Royal College of Music, London. In 1990 she passed the concert exam at the Academy of Music Detmold.
Birgitta Wollenweber relocated to Cologne City, and in 1991 was Winner of the Scholarship at the German Music Competition and acceptance to the ”Federal Selection of Concerts for Young Artists” of the German Music Council Promotion by the Werner Richard-Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation, by the Friedrich Jürgen Sellheim Society and by the cultural office of the state Nordrhein-Westfalen with solo and orchestral concerts. In 1994, she released her first Solo-CD, relocation to Berlin, and in 1995 won Third Prize at the International Piano Competition Maria Canals, Barcelona and the award for best performance at the finale. Other competition successes include the Joy Scott Prize of the Royal College of Music. In 2002, she founded the Soloists-Ensemble Berlin, and in 2007 her daughter Lea was born.
Since 1982, Birgitta Wollenweber appears in piano recitals, chamber music and concerts with orchestras in Europe, Japan and in the USA. She was invited to perform at many different festivals, including the Rheinisches Musikfest (Rhineland Music Festival), Ludwigsburg Castle Festival, International Musik Festival Dinu Lipatti in Sinaia/Rumania, the Kunstfest Weimar (Art Festival Weimar), Beethovenfest Bonn (International Beethoven Festival Bonn), Chopin Festival Mariánské Lázne in Marienbad/Czech Republic, the Festival de l'Eté Mosan/Belgium, ”Klaviersommer” in the Kammermusiksaal of the Beethoven House in Bonn, Festival de Flandre in Belgium, Rheingau Musik Festival, La Musica - International Chamber Music Festival La Musica in Sarasota (Florida), and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
Birgitta Wollenweber has recordings for radio and TV Several CD-Productions. Studio recordings and live concerts have been broadcast on NDR, WDR, ZDF and Bayerischen Rundfunk and by Radio Bremen, Deutschlandfunk and the Deutsche Welle. Her repertoire encompasses compositions from all periods. Her extensive discography includes many rediscovered composers such as Julius Weismann, Carl Loewe, Georg von Albrecht, Salomon Jadassohn, Joseph Joachim, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Florent Schmitt.
Since 2001, Birgitta Wollenweber is professor for piano at the Hanns Eisler school of music Berlin; in 2014-2015 she was interims director of Hanns Eisler school of music Master classes in Europe and Asia. |
