Matthias Wollong
1st Concertmaster
Matthias Wollong was born in Berlin in 1968 and began taking violin lessons at age five. After studying at the special school for music in Berlin, Werner Scholz accepted him into his master class in 1984.
From 1987 till 1989, Matthias Wollong studied with legendary violinist and teacher Tibor Varga in Switzerland. He concertized in Germany, France and Switzerland as concertmaster and soloist of the Tibor Varga Chamber Orchestra during this time. His studies ended after he won the violin competition named after his teacher.
He has been honored with numerous other awards, including first prize of the Joseph Joachim Competition in Austria.
Matthias Wollong has appeared as a soloist under such prominent conductors as Heinz Wallberg, Adam Fischer, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Marek Janowski and Sir Colin Davis, and orchestras such as the ORF Symphony Orchestra, the RSO Berlin, Staatskapelle Dresden, Staatskapelle Weimar, and Philharmonic orchestras in Suhl, Halle, Cottbus etc.
He has been first concertmaster of the Staatskapelle Dresden since 1999, after holding the same position with the RSO Berlin from 1991 till 1999. Since summer 2001, he has also been first concertmaster at the Bayreuth Festival.
He has also led tours and concerts as conductor of the German Chamber Orchestra and the New Berlin Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and has led projects of the Staatskapelle Dresden (evening performances), the Berlin Youth String Orchestra and the Stringendo Zurich Orchestra.
Matthias Wollong has received great acclaim for his many radio and CD productions, including the entire works for violin and piano of Swiss composer Ottmar Schoeck and a recording of Ernst Bloch's Violin Concerto with Vladimir Jurowski and the RSO Berlin.
He teaches as professor at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar, Germany. Matthias Wollong plays an Andreas Guarneri violin from 1676.
