Tabea Zimmermann appointed as newest SPCO Artistic Partner

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of violist Tabea Zimmermann as the SPCO’s newest Artistic Partner!

Zimmermann, who is regularly cited as the world’s greatest living violist, made her SPCO debut in October 2019, leading the orchestra from the viola chair in Ludwig van Beethoven’s First Symphony and soloing in her own transcription for viola of Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto. Following the collaboration, the musicians of the SPCO immediately voted to offer Zimmermann the title of Artistic Partner.

“For me, Tabea Zimmermann’s sound represents the ideal in terms of depth, warmth, suppleness and range of colors, and her ability to lead the ensemble from within is such a perfect fit with our collaborative approach at the SPCO,” said SPCO Principal Viola Maiya Papach. “Her debut in 2019 has stuck with me throughout the pandemic and we have been counting the days until her return.”

Zimmermann will begin her tenure next season with two weeks of concerts in the spring of 2023 that will include works by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms and Béla Bartók.

Listen to Tabea Zimmermann’s 2019 performance with the SPCO

“I am happily looking forward to the artistic partnership with the SPCO and feel very honored to continue in the impressive line of current and former Artistic Partners. My own goals in music coincide fully with the mission statement of the SPCO, and I cannot wait to experience and develop a common musical language with the fantastic musicians of the SPCO,” Zimmermann said. “We shall thrive for a maximum range of differentiation in music and will let the musical themes guide us to find a liberating answer to the ever-demanding question of individual versus group interests. For me, classical music offers the most beautiful key to life, and I am more than excited to share my sound visions with the musicians and the audience of the SPCO.”