Success for HfMT cellists

The content on this page was translated automatically.

Jaromir Kostka, MA student in the cello class of Professor Sebastian Klinger, was awarded 2nd prize at the 27th International Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria

Cellist Jaromir Kostka (born in 1995) grew up in Erlangen, where he received his first cello lessons from Judith Rüdiger at the age of five. He was then taught by Cornelius Boensch in Nuremberg and Verena Obermayer in Bamberg. As a teenager, he already played in numerous orchestras, such as the youth symphony orchestra "Die Jungen Fürther Streichhölzer" and the Bavarian State Youth Orchestra. He also won several first prizes at JugendMusiziert.
After graduating from high school, he went to the Würzburg University of Music, where he completed his Bachelor's degree in the class of Prof. Niklas Eppinger. He then went on to study for a Master's degree at the HMTM Hannover in the class of Prof. Leonid Gorokhov. Since the summer semester of 2020, he has continued this at the HfMT Hamburg in the class of Prof. Sebastian Klinger.
In addition to his studies, he completed his training in numerous master classes, including with the Mandelring Quartet, Eberhard Feltz, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Wolfgang Boettcher, Jens Peter Maintz and Gustav Rivinius.
Jaromir Kostka received the Josef Peter Kleinert Prize from the Fürth Theater Association, first prize at the Seraphin Competition in Würzburg, and with his piano trio the sponsorship prize at the Wolfgang Fischer Flach Competition, as well as second prize at the Feurich Competition in Vienna. He was also a Live music now scholarship holder with the trio.
As a soloist, he has performed the first cello concerto by C. Saint-Saëns, Kol Nidrei by M. Bruch, the Andante cantabile by P. Tchaikovsky, the cello concerto by E. Elgar and the first cello concerto by D. Shostakovich, among others. Shostakovich with the "Junge Fürther Streichhölzern", the Bamberg University Chamber Orchestra, the Würzburg Academic Orchestra and the Erlangen Chamber Orchestra.
He has gained orchestral experience as an academy member of the Staatskapelle Weimar, with a contract with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and, since the 2019/2020 season, as an academy member of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra.

The International Johannes Brahms Competition Pörtschach took place for the twenty-seventh time in 2020. Launched as a piano and chamber music competition, it now brings together highly qualified musicians from the fields of piano, violin, viola, cello, voice and chamber music¹ in Pörtschach am Wörthersee.
Over 400 artists from more than 40 countries apply every year: Virtually all Western and Eastern European countries from Greece to Finland are represented. In addition, candidates from Australia, China, Japan, South Africa, the USA, etc. also apply. The proportion of Austrians is less than 10 percent.
What makes the Johannes Brahms Competition particularly attractive for participants from all over the world? Unlike the usual competitions, this one is characterized by a high degree of transparency in the judging process. The jurors cannot hide behind a committee, but evaluate directly and spontaneously, immediately after the performance, which places high demands on the jury, but ensures an absolutely correct and comprehensible process for the participants. The musician therefore finds out immediately after the end of his performance how the jury assesses the technical and artistic execution of his performance, and the audience in attendance has the opportunity to compare their own impressions with those of the expert jury. After all, in a concert, the applause follows the performance.