Thomas Selditz, Viola
Thomas Selditz grew up in Berlin and studied at the Berlin Academy of Music “Hanns Eisler” under the instruction of Alfred Lipka. At the age of 21 he succeeded in the audition for the position of first solo viola player at the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra. Six years later Daniel Barenboim recruited him to play with the Berlin Staatskapelle, also as first solo viola.
In 1999 Thomas Selditz left the Berlin State Opera. Between 1999 and 2005 he taught at the University of Music and Drama Hannover, between 2005 and 2010 at the Hamburg Academy of Music. Since 2010 he is professor of viola at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Since the early 90ies Thomas Sedlitz has - as part of the Gaede Trio - been invited to perform in most European countries, Japan and the USA. In 2006 he went from being the ensemble’s viola player to playing the violin for Gaede Trio. As a chamber musician he has performed at festivals such as the Mozartfest Würzburg, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the European Music Fest Stuttgart, the Rheingau Festival as well as at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris, the Styriarte Graz, the Mondsee Festival and the festival “Schwäbischer Frühling”.
Among his chamber music partners are artists such as Christian Altenburger, Ernst Kovacic, Patrick Demenga, Markus Schirmer, Quirine Viersen, Wolfgang Schulz, Benjamin Schmid and ensembles such as the Gewandhaus Quartet Leipzig, the Trio Parnassus Stuttgart, the Auryn Quartet and the Arditti Quartet.
Recordings of his chamber music were released by the labels Largo Records, Tacet, Sony, MDG, Audite and Phoenix. In 2003 Thomas Selditz received the Diapason prize as well as the German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik) for his solo album.