Dagmar Spengler (born 4 April 1974) is a German

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

. She is currently the solo cellist of the

Staatskapelle Weimar The (DNT) is a German theatre and musical organisation based in Weimar. It is a twin institution, consisting of the theatrical (German National Theatre, now solely based in Weimar) and the symphony orchestra known as the . It has a total of s ...

Life

Born in Herten, Spengler received her first

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

lessons at the

Marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

music school with Zoltan Thirring and Klaus Baumeister and subsequently studied with Claus Kanngiesser at the

Hochschule für Musik Köln ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

. After her artistic maturity examination in 1998, which she passed "with distinction", she accepted an invitation from Bernard Greenhouse to spend a year studying in the US. As a scholarship holder of the

Deutscher Musikwettbewerb The Deutscher Musikwettbewerb (German music competition; ) is a national music competition in Germany for classical soloists and chamber music ensembles held annually by the Deutscher Musikrat (German Music Council). It was first held in 1975 a ...

in Bonn with the Rebecca Clarke Trio (piano trio), she performed numerous concerts from 1998 onwards as part of the ''Concerts of Young Artists'' of the

Deutscher Musikrat The Deutscher Musikrat (DMR, ''German Music Council''; ) is an umbrella organization for music associations and the 16 music councils of the German federal states.musikrat.deÜberblick über Organisationsstruktur des DMR(retrieved on 10 May 2019) ...

. In 2001 she completed her studies at the Cologne University of Music with the

Konzertexamen The Konzertexamen is a degree at conservatoires in postgraduate courses of study.Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. Konzertexamen. As a postgraduate education degree, it is the highest degree to be awarded by the university. The postgraduate cours ...

. Spengler was solo cellist in several youth orchestras (including the of North Rhine-Westphalia), played as solo cellist in the "Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen" and, immediately after her studies, was cellist in the

Staatskapelle Dresden The Staatskapelle Dresden (known formally as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden) is a German orchestra based in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Founded in 1548 by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, it is one of the world's oldest and most highly re ...

between 2001 and 2003 (Semper Opera). In addition to regularly attending international

master class A master class is a Class (education), class given to students of a particular Academic discipline, discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are b ...

es with, among others,

David Geringas David Geringas ( lt, Dovydas Geringas; born 29 July 1946 in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian cellist and conductor who studied under Mstislav Rostropovich. In 1970 he won the gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. He also plays the b ...

, Bernard Greenhouse,

Lluís Claret Lluís Claret (born 1951 in Andorra la Vella) is an Andorran Cello, cellist. He was born in Andorra in 1951 where he began his musical education at the age of 9. In 1964 he moved to Barcelona, won major distinctions at the Conservatory of the Lic ...

and the

Alban Berg Quartet The Alban Berg Quartett was a string quartet founded in Vienna, Austria in 1970, named after Alban Berg. Members Beginnings The Berg Quartet was founded in 1970 by four young professors of the Vienna Academy of Music, and made its debut in ...

, she devotes herself intensively to

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

in a wide variety of formations, for example with the sextet ''Vivace!'' and in duo with the pianist

Oliver Drechsel Oliver Drechsel (born 10 May 1973) is a German concert pianist and composer. Life Drechsel was born in Langenfeld (Rheinland). After initial lessons with his mother, the concert pianist Ruth Drechsel-Püster, he studied at the Hochschule für ...

. Under the title ''dialogo'' with works of the 20th century for violoncello and piano, her debut CD was released in 2001 by Verlag Dohr, which contains the well-known sonatas by

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

and

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

as well as two world premiere recordings by the British composer

Buxton Orr Buxton Orr (18 April 1924 – 27 December 1997) was a Glasgow-born Anglo-Scottish composer and teacher. Life Originally trained as a doctor, Orr gave up medicine and switched to music in 1952, studying composition at the Guildhall School of Mu ...

, including his ''Carmen Fantasy''.Dagmar Spengler
on Bachland

Recording

* Dialogo. 20th century works for violoncello and piano by Sergei Prokofiev, Buxton Orr and Benjamin Britten (with Oliver Drechsel, piano), Verlag Dohr DCD017, 2001.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spengler, Dagmar German classical cellists Women cellists 1974 births Living people People from Herten