Wies de Boevé & Tomoko Takahashi
Biography Wies de Boevé & Tomoko Takahashi
Wies de Boevé
Born in 1987 in Belgium, Wies de Boevé began his studies in his home country with Lode Leire and Maurice Aerts. He then studied in Zürich with Duncan McTier and Frank Sanderell before winning a scholarship with the Berlin Philharmonic’s Herbert von Karajan Orchestra Academy in 2010. There he received instrumental instruction from solo bassists Janne Saksala and Esko Laine and gained valuable orchestral experience. In addition, he completed his soloist diploma with Božo Paradžik at the Lucerne School of Music (with highest honors), then concluded his studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, earning his concert diploma with Matthew McDonald. Wies de Boevé has won prizes at many competitions, including the International Instrumental Competition Markneukirchen, the Scottish International Double Bass Competition in Glasgow, the BASS2010 Solo Competition in Berlin, the Rahn Music Prize Zürich, and the Concours International de Contrebasse in Paris. In March 2015 he won the prize at Germany’s National Music Competition – the first double bassist to do so in the over 40 years that the competition has been held.
He has played with many renowned orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Helsinki, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, and Berlin State Opera, before being named Assistant Solo Bassist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. As a sought-after chamber musician, Wies de Boevé has appeared at many music festivals, and as a double bass instructor he teaches the musicians of the European Union Youth Orchestra and Junge Deutsche Philharmonie.
Tomoko Takahashi
began learning the piano at the age of four in her native Japan. In 1982 she continued her musical training at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Two years later she won an award at the Nippon National Music Competition. As a scholarship holder of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), she began studies in 1988 at the Berlin University of the Arts with Prof. Klaus Hellwig, where she earned her concert diploma in 1995 with distinction. Tomoko Takahashi is a two-time prizewinner of the Artur Schnabel Competition in Berlin, in addition to other awards. Tomoko Takahashi has appeared throughout the world as a soloist, performing several times at the Berliner Philharmonie. In addition to her solo career, the flexibility and sensitivity of her playing have made her a sought-after chamber music partner. Her regular collaborations have included performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, Bamberg Symphony, and Kammerakademie Potsdam. She teaches both at the University of the Arts and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin.
