Tabea Zimmermann

About Tabea Zimmermann

Tabea Zimmermann, who considers herself “a musician who happens to play the viola”, is one of the most popular and renowned artists of our time. Winner of the international Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2020, Zimmermann is widely admired for her tireless enthusiasm and uncompromising artistic standards. Audiences and fellow musicians value her charismatic personality and deep musical understanding.
As a soloist, she regularly performs with the world’s most distinguished orchestras. Following residencies with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concert gebouw Orchestra, the Frankfurt Museum Society, and the Bamberg Symphony, Zimmermann was Artist-in-Residence with Ensemble Resonanz for two seasons and continues to work closely with the group.
Tabea Zimmermann has inspired numerous composers to write for the viola and has introduced many new works into the standard and chamber music repertoire. In April 1994 she gave the first performance of György Ligeti’s "Sonata for Solo Viola", which is dedicated to her. Since then she has premiered "Recicanto for Viola and Orchestra" by Heinz Holliger, "Über die Linie IV" by Wolfgang Rihm, "Monh" by Georges Lentz, "Notte di pasqua" by Frank Michael Beyer, Bruno Mantovani’s "Concerto pour deux altos et orchestre" (with Antoine Tamestit) and, together with Ensemble Resonanz, Enno Poppe’s "Filz".
Since 2019, she has played an instrument built for her by Patrick Robin.
www.tabeazimmermann.de