Benjamin Beck

Benjamin Beck has been the principal violist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra since 2023. He is recognized as a versatile musician, renowned for his roles as a soloist, principal viola, professor, and arranger. Before Vienna, Beck held principal viola positions with the Bavarian State Orchestra and Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. He has led viola sections in internationally acclaimed orchestras like the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Bavarian Radio Symphony, and Les Dissonances in Paris. He is also a professor at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles.

Beck has performed as a soloist or chamber musician in prestigious venues worldwide, including the Wiener Musikverein, Berliner Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, and Tokyo Yamaha Hall, as well as festivals like the Bayreuth Festival and Verbier Festival. In the world of chamber music, he collaborates with artists such as Midori, Christian Tetzlaff, Michel Strauss, and his colleagues from the Vienna Philharmonic. He released his first solo album “Les voix de l’alto” in 2015. His second album “Love beyond Death” with the German pianist Marie Rosa Günter was published by GENUIN Classics in 2023, featuring works by Schumann, Prokofiev, and Britten.

As an arranger, Benjamin Beck transcribes orchestral works into chamber music or musical theater, offering fresh perspectives and making classical music accessible to wider audiences. His works include Schubert’s Winterreise, Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Wagner’s Lohengrin, and Stravinsky’s Firebird. The Lohengrin for string sextet premiered in the Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth on 28 August 2020 and was published by Hofmeister Musikverlag in 2023.

Born in the French Basque Country, Beck began his viola study at seven. He graduated from Paris CNSM and New England Conservatory, in the classes of Jean Sulem and Kim Kashkashian. He also holds a Musicology degree from Sorbonne University, and studied Music Pedagogy in ZHdK with Diemut Poppen. Since winning the first prize in the Llanes International String Competition at 16, he has earned awards in prestigious competitions and grants from institutions like the Forbesfest International Competition and the Fondation Safran pour la Musique. From 2013 to 2015, he played with the Berlin Philharmonic as a member of the Karajan Academy.

Beyond music, he is committed to education and humanitarian efforts, engaging with programs like Créations en Cours with the French Culture Ministry, and ICEP Music Sharing with Japanese violinist Midori.

International presses describe his performance as follows: