David Afkham & Christian Tetzlaff

Known for his impeccable technique and compelling artistry, David Afkham has received worldwide acclaim and is one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation. Afkham is the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, a position he has held since September 2019. Prior to this role, Afkham enjoyed a highly successful tenure as the orchestra’s Principal Conductor since 2014.

Afkham’s impressive career has been marked by a series of critically acclaimed performances and collaborations with some of the world’s leading orchestras. He has appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, SWR Symphonieorchester, Vienna Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, as well as with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra among others. On tour, he has appeared with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Staatskapelle Dresden, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Born in Freiburg, Germany, Afkham began piano and violin lessons at an early age. He went on to study piano, music theory and conducting at the Freiburg Music University, before continuing his studies at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar. Afkham was the first recipient of the Bernard Haitink Fund for Young Talent and has assisted Maestro Haitink on several major projects, including complete symphonic cycles with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra. From 2009-2012 he was Assistant Conductor of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester.

“In every aspect of his expression, Tetzlaff strives for the maximum… It couldn’t be more intense.” – Süddeutsche Zeitung
Violinist Christian Tetzlaff is highly acclaimed for his expressive, sensitive, and personal interpretations. His individual approach to the score, in which he always seeks the emotional and structural depth of the composition, has earned him a loyal following over the years, who often describe his performances as an existential experience. Since his spectacular debut with Schoenberg’s Violin Concerto in 1988 in Berlin, Munich, and Cleveland, he has performed with leading orchestras of the highest caliber, including the Berlin, Vienna, and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and many others. His extensive repertoire ranges from Bach’s solo sonatas and partitas to lesser-known concertos by Giovanni Battista Viotti and Joseph Joachim to contemporary works by György Ligeti, Jörg Widmann, and Thomas Ades. In 2023, he took over as artistic director of the SPANNUNGEN Festival in Heimbach, Germany.

During the 2025/26 season, Tetzlaff will appear several times as artist-in-residence with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, performing violin concertos by Berg, Suk, and Dvořák, as well as chamber music with Vladimir Jurowski. In February 2026, he will give the world premiere of Ondrej Adamek’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in Paris, followed by national premieres in Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Other highlights of the season include duo concerts with Leif-Ove Andsnes, solo recitals in Berlin, Oslo, and London, and concerts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the SWR Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
Tetzlaff works with many of the leading conductors, including Herbert Blomstedt, Karina Canellakis, Maxim Emelyanychev, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Harding, Manfred Honeck, Jakub Hrůša, Marie Jacquot, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Cristian Măcelaru, Andris Nelsons, Gianandrea Noseda, Sakari Oramo, Sir Antonio Pappano, Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, John Storgårds, Robin Ticciati, and Juraj Valčuha.

Chamber music is an integral part of his career. In 1994, he founded the Tetzlaff Quartet together with his sister, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff. The ensemble tours every season and will perform in Germany and the UK in 2025/26. The Tetzlaff Quartet was awarded the Diapason d’or l’année in 2015 for its recording of Berg’s Lyric Suite and Mendelssohn. Christian and Tanja Tetzlaff also perform regularly as a trio with pianist Kiveli Dörken.
His extensive discography, mainly on the Ondine label, has been honored with the German Record Critics’ Annual Prize, several Diapason d’or awards, and the Midem Classical Award. Recent highlights include Sibelius with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Nick Collon, and Brahms’ piano quartets, the last recordings of the late Lars Vogt. Elgar and Adès’ violin concertos with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and John Storgårds will be released in fall 2025. He has recorded Bach’s works for solo violin three times, most recently in 2017.
Christian Tetzlaff plays a violin made by luthier Peter Greiner. He teaches at the Kronberg Academy and lives in Berlin with his wife, photographer Giorgia Bertazzi, and their three children.