VIP Sarah Willis

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Introducing Artist VIP

Sarah Willis - Celebrated Hornist in the Berliner Philharmoniker and Major Horn Soloist

Biography

“The horn is for boys”, Sarah Willis' schoolteacher told her, and so he suggested that she learn the flute or the oboe. That remark served as a challenge to the US-born Brit, who grew up in Tokyo, Boston, Moscow and London and had her first horn lessons at the age of 14. After studying for three years on the Performer's Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Sarah continued her training with Fergus McWilliam in Berlin.

From 1991 to 2001 she was a member of the Staatskapelle Berlin and in 2001 became the first female brass player to be accepted into the ranks of the Berlin Philharmonic. Sarah Willis has performed with other leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, London Symphony and the Sydney Symphony Orchestras and has appeared as a soloist all over the world. She has also recorded various acclaimed CDs which include works by Johannes Brahms and Anton Rosetti.

Sarah is involved in many of the Berlin Philharmonic education projects and especially enjoys creating and presenting Family Concerts. She also interviews conductors and soloists for the Digital Concert Hall. Sarah is passionate about music education and makes full use of digital technology and social media to reach audiences world- wide. She is also a regular broadcaster and interviewer on TV and online and fronts the classical music programme Sarah´s Music for Deutsche Welle TV.

”My dream came true in September 2001 when I joined the Berlin Philharmonic as a horn player – and as the orchestra’s first-ever female brass player!“

New Information Under development

Message from Sarah Willis

Agendas and Performance and Teaching Philosophy

Upcoming Events and Workshops

Recordings