Oliver Herbert
Kronberg Academy Professional Studies with Frans Helmerson, funded by the Nanno Lenz patronage
“Oliver Herbert was the soloist, and he was a knockout. (…) The audience adored him Thursday. A star, it seemed, was found and embraced.” - San Francisco Classical Voice
Oliver Herbert is a concert cellist with a rapidly growing international presence. The recipient of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Oliver’s natural musicianship and connective performances are carving a unique path in the world of music.
As a soloist, Oliver has appeared with world renowned orchestras including the San Francisco
Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Juanjo Mena, and Alexander Shelley. His work is fueled by a passion for music ranging from past centuries to the present, with concerto performances spotlighting works from C.P.E. Bach to Haydn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Ibert, Elgar, Barber, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Lutoslawski, and Vasks, among others.
Working closely with composers, Oliver has commissioned several works including Andrew Moses’ Ecstatic Immanence for cello, percussion, and electronics which was recently premiered at the 2023 TICA Festival, Hong Kong. At the 2023 Kronberg Festival, Oliver gave the world premiere of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s new solo cello work, Spiral Spins. In recent seasons, his projects have included performances of the complete Bach Cello Suites at Capital Region Classical and the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas at Guarneri Hall in Chicago.
Oliver’s recital engagements have brought him across the United States to venues such as the
Ravinia Festival and Kravis Center, as well as on tour to Greece, Germany, and Hong Kong. His programs are known for combining beloved with lesser known works, contextualizing them with equal advocacy and commitment.
He regularly appears at leading chamber music festivals and venues such as the Rheingau
Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Marlboro, La Jolla SummerFest, Verbier Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland, 92nd Street Y, and the Ravinia Festival. He has performed with luminaries such as Mitsuko Uchida and Tabea Zimmermann.
Oliver’s recordings include a release of Haydn’s D Major Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas by Warner Classics as part of highlights of MTT’s final season as music director. In June of 2020, Oliver released his debut album with pianist Xiaohui Yang, Frame of Mind: Fauré and Janáček, featuring the two cello and piano sonatas of Gabriel Fauré, as well as Leoš Janáček’s Pohádka (Fairy Tale).
He is the recipient of the 2017 Verbier Festival’s Jean-Nicolas Firmenich Prize, as well as top prizes in the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition, Klein Competition, and Stulberg Competition. He has been featured on PBS’s Now Hear This, NPR’s From the Top, the popular online interview series, Living the Classical Life, and more.
Born in the US in 1997, Oliver is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Colburn School, where he studied with Carter Brey, Pamela Frank, Clive Greensmith, and Peter Wiley. He plays on a Guadagnini cello that belonged to the great Italian cellist Antonio Janigro, on generous loan from the Janigro family.
Since 2023, Oliver has been studying at Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson, generously founded by the Nanno Lenz patronage. In the academic year 2023/24, he is additionally supported by the Marcus Dieter Neubronner award.
TABEA ZIMMERMANN & FRIENDS I
Participants
- Abigél Králik violin
- Pauline van der Rest violin
- Wassili Wohlgemuth violin
- Natalie Loughran viola
- Nicholas Swensen viola
- Tabea Zimmermann viola
- Anouchka Hack cello
- Oliver Herbert cello
- Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
- Simon Aringer double bass
- Thomas Hoppe piano
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048
Thomas Demenga (*1954)
‘Duo? o, Du...’ for viola and violoncello
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Trio in A minor for piano, clarinet (viola) and violoncello op. 114
intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Symphony No. 6 in F major op. 68 ‘Pastorale’
(Arr. G. Fischer for string sextet, ca. 1810)
An artist talk with Tabea Zimmermann and Prof. Dr Friedemann Eichhorn will take place at 6.45 pm.
Subject to change.
CONCERTI BRILLANTI I
Participants
- Önder Baloglu concertmaster & conductor
- Anna Im violin
- Oliver Herbert cello
- Avery Gagliano piano
- Anna Han piano
- Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn
Programme
J. S. Bach (1685–1750)
Piano Concerto no.1 D-minor BWV 1052
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Rondo in A-major for violin and strings D 438
Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994)
Grave – Metamorphoses for violoncello and string orchestra
W. A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Piano Concerto in E flat-major KV 449
Subject to change.
MARTIN HELMCHEN & FRIENDS I
Participants
- Antje Weithaas violin
- Elli Choi violin
- Samuel Rosenthal viola
- Brian Isaacs viola
- Marie-Elisabeth Hecker cello
- Oliver Herbert cello
- Martin Helmchen piano
Programme
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
String Quintet no. 3 in C major, KV 515
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44
Without Intermission
Concert introduction with Martin Helmchen at 6.45 p.m.
Subject to change.
MARTIN HELMCHEN & FRIENDS III
Participants
- Antje Weithaas violin
- Elli Choi violin
- Jinzhu Li violin
- Samuel Rosenthal viola
- Marie-Elisabeth Hecker cello
- Oliver Herbert cello
- Nemorino Scheliga Klarinette
- Martin Helmchen piano
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 Nos. 1, 4 and 9 (arr. for string quartet)
Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992)
Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Subject to change.
Premiere concert with Kirill Gerstein & Kronberg Young Soloists
Participants
- Kirill Gerstein piano
- Inmo Yang violin
- Cosima Soulez Larivière violin
- Dmytro Udovychenko violin
- Sào Soulez Larivière viola
- Samuel Rosenthal viola
- Nicholas Swensen viola
- Bryan Cheng cello
- Oliver Herbert cello
- LiLa cello
Programme
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor Op. 25
Intermission
Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major Op. 26
Intermission
Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor Op. 60
Subject to change.
Wie bitte? - Oliver Herbert
Participants
- Oliver Herbert cello
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Canon a 4, BWV 1074
*Helena Winkelman (1974)
Sleipnir the Eight-Legged for string quartet
Andrew Moses (*1999)
Absconditus (after Theile, Bokemeyer, and Maier)
World Premiere
*John Adams (1947)
Shaker Loops for string septet
Further participants
Claire Wells, violin
Sarang Kim, violin
Patricia Cordero, violin
Nicholas Swensen, viola
Ivan Skanavi, cello
Junzhe Jia, double bass
The ticket price for Wednesday concerts includes one drink on the evening of the concert.
Enjoy five Wednesday concerts at a special price of €96.
Subject to change
Kronberg Academy on Tour - Carnegie Hall NYC
Participants
- Kirill Gerstein piano
- Cosima Soulez Larivière violin
- Dmytro Udovychenko violin
- Inmo Yang violin
- Sào Soulez Larivière viola
- Samuel Rosenthal viola
- Bryan Cheng cello
- Oliver Herbert cello
- LiLa cello
Programme