He
studied the violin from 1959 to 1964 at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler”
He was a student of Professor W. Martens and J. F. Utkin (Moscow). Additional
studies with Professor Ehlers (Weimar), Conducting with Professor Koch. Until
1991 he was the concertmaster in the DEFA-symphony orchestra. Since 1989 he has
taught at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler” and is an artist leader of
the Schaffrath chamber-orchestra, since 1991 freelance conducter and violinist.
In 1987/1988 he and the Schmalenberg Quartet performed all 15 string quartets
by Shostakovitch in former East Germany. 1989 he became the founder and chairman
of the German Schostakowitsch-Society (SchoG). He composed chamber music and
published works on music science about Schostakowitsch. Founding of the
ENSEMBLES DSCH in 1996. In 1995 and 1996 he received great acclaim for his
interpretation of Shostakovitch in St. Petersburg. He toured to Los Angeles,
Barcelona, Paris, Budapest and Vienna.