Andreas Blau is a German flutist. He is a former principal flutist of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

Early life

Blau's father was a violinist with the Berlin Philharmonic, joining the orchestra in 1948, a year before Andreas was born. Blau auditioned for principal flute and joined the orchestra at the age of 20 after brief studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, the Salzburg Mozarteum, and in the United States, also receiving several international awards.

Career

Performing

As a soloist, he performed under

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...

, David Oistrach,

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony ...

, and Sir Simon Rattle. He is the founder and director of The 14 Berlin Flutes, an ensemble formed in 1996 composed entirely of flute players from various Berlin orchestras. The ensemble plays various instruments in the flute family, ranging from the piccolo to the contrabass flute. Blau was the principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic since 1969 before retiring in June 2015 after 46 years. He was succeeded by Mathieu Dufour from the Chicago Symphony.

Teaching

Since 1973, he has been a flute professor and many of his students are active in major orchestras around the world. He also teaches master classes in many countries and has been invited to numerous international competitions as a jury member. In 2005, Blau was appointed Honorary Professor at the

Shanghai Conservatory of Music The Shanghai Conservatory of Music () was founded on November 27, 1927, as the first music institution of higher education in China. Its teachers and students have won awards at home and abroad, thus earning the conservatory the name "the crad ...

Personal life

Blau's father-in-law was Fritz Wesenigk (24 April 19237 March 2009), a trumpet player who was also in the Berlin Philharmonic. Blau's daughter Alexandra is married to Albrecht Mayer, the orchestra's principal oboist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blau, Andreas Living people 1949 births Players of the Berlin Philharmonic Musicians from Berlin German classical flautists