Kurt
Mitterfellner
Soloist and chamber musician · Concertmaster of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra 2023–2026
From leading the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in the great concert halls of Europe to solo appearances at the Vienna State Opera and the Royal Opera House in London, Kurt Mitterfellner is a Swiss-raised violinist of a new generation.
Concertmaster, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra
Wiener Staatsoper · Royal Opera House · Dubai Opera
Zurich University of the Arts, class of Alexander Sitkovetsky
A life with the violin
2004, Germany · raised in Lausanne
HEMU Lausanne (Bachelor, 2024) · ZHdK Zurich since 2026
1775 Tommaso Balestrieri violin · Dominique Peccatte bow
Kurt Mitterfellner was born in Germany in 2004 to a Russian mother and an Austrian father, and grew up in Lausanne. He began piano lessons at the age of five and took up the violin a year later – an instrument that at first felt far harder than the piano. At ten, practice turned into passion, and the violin became his instrument.
He went on to attend masterclasses with Zakhar Bron, Svetlana Makarova and Pavel Vernikov, and joined the pre-college programme of the HEMU Lausanne with Julien Zufferey. He won two first prizes at the Swiss Youth Music Competition, first prize at the Concours Riviera in Vevey and a prize at the Salieri Competition in Italy.
In 2020, aged sixteen, he was admitted to the Bachelor class of Renaud Capuçon and François Sochard at the HEMU, graduating in January 2024. In March 2023 he won the audition for concertmaster of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, which he led for three years under some of today’s foremost conductors and in Europe’s most prestigious halls.
As a soloist and guest artist he has appeared at the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House in London – where he made his debut in Anna Netrebko’s solo recital in the 2025/26 season – the Hungarian State Opera, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Philharmonie Essen, Dubai Opera and the Moscow State Philharmonic, alongside artists such as Anna Netrebko and Sonya Yoncheva.
Since 2026 he has continued his studies at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in the class of Alexander Sitkovetsky. He plays a 1775 violin by Tommaso Balestrieri and a bow by Dominique Peccatte, generously lent by a private sponsor.
Understanding before interpreting
For Kurt, every interpretation begins with the music’s story: when a work was written, what was happening in the composer’s life, and the circumstances in which it came to be. From there he searches for the musical choices that truly fit – and the technique to carry them.
Chamber music is close to his heart. He is passionate about building lasting partnerships with fellow musicians, from the sonata repertoire with piano to larger ensembles.
Stages and conductors
As concertmaster
- Concertgebouw Amsterdam
- Berliner Philharmonie
- Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
- Musikverein Vienna
- Konzerthaus Berlin
- Salzburg Festival
- Kulturpalast Dresden
- Kloster Eberbach, Rheingau
- Alhambra, Granada
- Kursaal, San Sebastián
As soloist
- Wiener Staatsoper
- Royal Opera House, London
- Hungarian State Opera, Budapest
- Philharmonie Luxembourg
- Philharmonie Essen
- Auditorium de Bordeaux
- Theater Linz
- Dubai Opera
- Moscow State Philharmonic
Conductors
- Kirill Petrenko
- Daniele Gatti
- Daniel Harding
- Jakub Hrůša
- Christoph Eschenbach
- Manfred Honeck
- Ingo Metzmacher
Repertoire
Concertos
- J. S. Bach – Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041; Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043
- A. Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, RV 269, 315, 293, 297
- W. A. Mozart – Violin Concertos No. 1 in B-flat major, K. 207; No. 2 in D major, K. 211; No. 3 in G major, K. 216; No. 5 in A major, K. 219
- F. Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
- M. Bruch – Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
- P. I. Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
- J. Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
- S. Prokofiev – Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19
- E. W. Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
- D. Shostakovich – Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77
Violin and orchestra
- C. Saint-Saëns – Introduction et Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28
- P. de Sarasate – Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20
- E. Chausson – Poème, Op. 25
- M. Ravel – Tzigane, M. 76
- F. Kreisler – Three Old Viennese Dances; La Gitana
Solo violin
- J. S. Bach – Sonatas No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001; No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003; No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005; Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
- N. Paganini – Caprices Op. 1 Nos. 1, 4, 13, 14, 16 and 24
- G. Enescu – «Ménétrier» from Impressions d'enfance, Op. 28
Sonatas and chamber music
- W. A. Mozart – Sonata in G major, K. 301 (293a)
- L. van Beethoven – Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 «Spring»
- F. Schubert – Sonatinas in D major, D 384; A minor, D 385; G minor, D 408; Grand Duo in A major, D 574
- F. Mendelssohn – String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20
- P. Viardot – Six Morceaux for violin and piano
- J. Brahms – Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108; Scherzo in C minor from the F-A-E Sonata, WoO 2
- P. I. Tchaikovsky – Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34; Valse sentimentale, Op. 51 No. 6
- E. Elgar – La Capricieuse, Op. 17; Salut d'amour, Op. 12
- C. Debussy – Sonata in G minor, L. 140
- R. Strauss – Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18
- M. de Falla / F. Kreisler – Spanish Dance from La vida breve
- S. Prokofiev – Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a
In the press
- The Guardian – Anna Netrebko, London
- Financial Times – Review
- Slipped Disc – London
- ResMusica – Netrebko and friends, Philharmonie Luxembourg
- Fattitaliani – Anna Netrebko, Luxembourg
- Ópera Actual – Anna Netrebko, Teatro Real Madrid
- Beckmesser – Anna Netrebko, Teatro Real Madrid
- Platea Magazine – Anna Netrebko, Teatro Real Madrid
- Scherzo – Anna Netrebko, Teatro Real Madrid
- Olyrix – Sonya Yoncheva, Opéra de Bordeaux
- Hungarian State Opera – Anna Netrebko, Budapest
- OperaWire – Hungarian State Opera
- Online Merker – Anna Netrebko, Wiener Staatsoper
- Opera Online – Anna Netrebko, Vienna
Concert enquiries
For engagements, collaborations and press material, please get in touch.