Karsten Windt Music Presentation

Karsten Windt

Born in Berlin, Germany, KARSTEN WINDT was first violinist with the Deutsche Symphony Orchestra (DSO) since 1992, performing regularly in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall and touring all over Europe, Asia, North and South America. He graduated from the Universitaet der Kuenste in Berlin and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London with Professors R.-J. Kimstedt, Hans Maile, Yfrah Neaman and David Takeno, and attended the masterclass of Nathan Milstein in Zurich, Switzerland. With the DSO Karsten won a Grammy in 2011 for the best opera recording under the baton of Kent Nagano. As a freelance player Karsten has joined the NDR Symphony Hamburg, Stuttgart Radio Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Oslo Opera, Berlin State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Deutsche Kammerakademie Potsdam, Orchestra de la Communidad de Valencia, Spain, Silicon Valley Symphony, as a co-leader the Rostock Philharmonic and as principal and co-principal the Berkeley Symphony.

He was responsible for building up the DSO String Academy Department over several years by mentoring talented young musicians for orchestral repertoire, auditions and chamber music. He founded a string orchestra which he led as concertmaster, and organized a chamber music series with them. Since forming his own chamber music group in 2001, the Akanthus Ensemble Berlin, his concern has been to create fresh ways to hear and understand classical music. Karsten has also produced several CDs with his musicians. In concert he presents not only traditional and contemporary music, but also more popular styles like Argentinian Tango or Russian Folk Music. Through the introduction of the artists, the composers and their works, he gives the audiences the inside perspective of an experienced musician on his programs.

The DSO chamber music activities included Karsten Windt’s interpretive introductions for a concert series related to Mozart’s 250th birthday. He also planned and introduced the opening concert of the “Salon Noir,” the title given to a series presented in connection with the exhibit “Melancholy: the Genius and Madness of Art” at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, in which music and paintings were combined in thematic relationships. He also recently developed, in cooperation with hotels and restaurants like the Ritz-Carlton in Berlin, the Ristorante Tristán in Mallorca, Spain, and the International Club, a new kind of concert that combines music, wine and exclusive menus for very special culinary-musical events.

He has a big place in his heart for children and was invited to moderate DSO concerts for children and youth - both chamber music and symphonic repertoire - because he understands that the future of classical music lies not only with our young musicians but also with our young audiences.

Karsten talks about music in English, French and German. In 2006, 2007 and 2009 he introduced and played in a series of concerts at Forest Hill Musical Days, a chamber music festival in San Francisco under the direction of internationally acclaimed pianist Mari Kodama and maestro Kent Nagano. After acquiring his residency in the US he recently transferred his creative base from Europe to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he directs his concert series SALON CLASSIQUE, gives private recitals and works as an independent musician and event organizer. Karsten also enjoys teaching violin and coaching and lecturing music at the Marin Academy in San Rafael.

In his free time Karsten is a passionate sailor.