Hilmar Schmalenberg

 

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.