Florian Berner

cellist

Florian Berner, a passionate mountain climber and enthusiastic cook, was born in Vienna in 1973. He initially learned to play piano, then received his eagerly awaited first cello at the age of ten. From 1991 to 1999, he studied cello at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts under Angelica May, and with members of the Alban Berg Quartet. Master classes with Milos Mljenik, Norbert Brainin, Milan Skampa, Valentin Berlinski, among others, followed. While still formally training as a soloist, he became a member of the Viennese chamber music ensemble, KlangArten, a formation known for its contemporary repertoire. In 1993, he co-founded the Hugo Wolf Quartet, and soon found himself playing in the world's most renowned concert halls. His career as a soloist has included invitations to appear in the Vienna Konzerthaus, Linz's Brucknerhaus and at the Carinthian Summer Music Festival, televised performances, as well as live concerts of Bach's suites for solo cello. His most recent engagement was at the Attersee Festival, which saw the world premiere of "Passions of Don Juan" - a piece written especially for Florian Berner and his instrument by Dirk D'Ase. Berner also teaches courses in chamber music, as a lecturer for Artes Juventutes.