Chamber concert Kühlhaus Berlin

Raphaela Paetsch from Switzerland was born in 1996, into a family of musicians, thus, her first cello lessons were from family as well, her dad teaching her since the age of four. In 2003, she started to learn the grand piano at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana music school in Lugano, and at the age of fifteen was a student at the cello class of the preparatory course of the conservatory under prof. Monika Leskovar. In 2007-2012 Raphaela was a soloist for the „Orchestra d’Archi Della Svizzera Italiana” and won first prizes at the International Torneo music competition and the international youth music festival Summa Cum Laude. The latter presented her with opportunities to perform in the Musikverein and Konzerthaus halls in Vienna. Raphaela has won many competitions in the cello solo, cello and violin duet, grand piano trio, and grand piano duet categories, as well as taking part in numerous masterclasses hosted by famous cellists and receiving lessons from masters of chamber music, such as the Artemis Quartet. The cellist frequently performs in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Finland, Spain, and the USA. Her musical biography includes many solo performances with famous orchestras and ensembles, like the Corelli Ensemble, the Locarno Chamber Orchestra, the New Berlin Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchester Berliner Musikfreunde. In 2016 the artist performed in the Grachten festival, in Amsterdam, and in 2017 was invited to open the first Maroggia Classica Festival in Switzerland with her recital. In the same year, the famous Artemis quartet invited Raphaela and her string quartet to perform in the Kyoto music festival in Japan, and in Zurich the group performed at a gala concert together with the Zurich University of the Arts orchestra. The cellist regularly performs in concerts with the Eroica Berlin Orchestra and collaborates with The Young Classicals Team, as well as studying at the Berlin University of the Arts under prof. Konstantin Heidrich and receiving scholarships from the Fritz-Gerber Stiftung Zürich and the Ottilie-Selbach-Redslob-Stiftung foundations.

At the music conservatories around the world, students learn to master their instrument or voice technically and artistically, and to interpret music skillfully. However, what can only be taught to a limited extent is how to play or sing and the general interaction within a large ensemble, which for many graduates becomes part of their professional life later on. To bridge this gap, an increasing number of orchestras and choirs are offering specialized training programs. At the RSB, the Orchestra Academy for String Players was founded in 2002 at the initiative of the orchestra’s friends and supporters.

Students from all over the world apply for the thirteen scholarships, which are awarded for two years to promising talents under 26 years of age. In the 2018/2019 season, musicians from ten different nations were represented in the academy, highlighting the diverse nature of the orchestra.

The members of the academy are assigned to orchestral duties just like the full-time colleagues, playing in rehearsals and concerts, as well as recording CDs and going on tour. In their section, they each have a dedicated contact person. These mentors provide guidance, constructive criticism, lessons, and share their own experiences. In this way, the academy members are strengthened as artists and learn a great deal about working within an artistic collective. Regular workshops are held where topics outside the musical repertoire are addressed. For example, they receive training in audition preparation, concert program dramaturgy, music education for children and adults, or musician health. Once a year, the members of the Orchestra Academy perform a chamber concert.

For many academy members, their time at the RSB serves as a real career springboard, enabling them to secure positions in renowned national and international ensembles—sometimes even during their time in the academy—and to begin their professional lives with more confidence, often continuing within the RSB itself.

Hans-Jakob Eschenburg received his first cello lessons at the Rostock Conservatory. After studying with Josef Schwab at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, he was principal cellist of the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1988.

With the renowned Petersen Quartet, of which he was a founding member until 2000, he won several international competitions (Prague, Evian, Florence, Munich) and appeared on the major concert stages and at numerous festivals in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Several of the Petersen Quartet’s numerous CD recordings have won international awards.

Since 1999 Hans-Jakob Eschenburg has been principal cellist of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. He held the same position in the chamber orchestra “Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach”. He frequently appears as a soloist and chamber musician, including as a member of various chamber ensembles such as the Gideon Klein Trio. Hans-Jakob Eschenburg teaches as an honorary professor at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin. He is also involved as a mentor of the Orchestra Academy of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

Born into a family of musicians, Elizaveta was surrounded by people who were devoted to music from an early age. She began violin lessons at the age of five and switched to the viola nine years later. After graduating from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2009, where she studied with Roman Balashov and Yuri Bashmet (viola) and Alexander Rudin (chamber music), she continued her training in Germany. She studied with Wilfried Strehle at the Berlin University of the Arts and graduated in 2016 with a master’s degree as an instrumental soloist with distinction.
Elizaveta discovered her passion for orchestral playing during her studies. As a young violist, she was accepted into the Verbier Festival Orchestra in 2007 and later played in the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the Zermatt Music Academy and the Russian-German Music Academy. She took up her first permanent orchestral position with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden in 2014, before moving to the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and finally to the Rundfunksinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB).

Elizaveta regularly appears as a guest musician with renowned ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and others. She has also been a member of the Estonian Festival Orchestra since 2019. In addition to her orchestral performances, Elizaveta is an enthusiastic chamber musician and passionate teacher. She also teaches at the Orchestra Academy of the Rundfunksinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB).