Solo orchestra positions for cello graduates
Three graduates from Prof. Stephan Forck’s cello class – Konstantin Bruns, Aram Amatuni and Shenghan Gao – have successfully completed their probationary periods as (deputy) principal cellists in renowned symphony orchestras and have been appointed as permanent members of those orchestras.
Konstantin Bruns, originally from Magdeburg, has been appointed as co-principal cellist in his home town with the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Prior to this, he served as first principal cellist of the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn from 2022 to 2024. He completed his musical training both at the Eisler School under Prof. Stephan Forck and with Prof. Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Berlin University of the Arts. He was awarded first prizes at the International Hindemith Competition, the Hamburg International Music Competition and the International Music Competition in Stockport. As a soloist, he has performed with, amongst others, the North German Philharmonic Orchestra Rostock, the South-West German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim, the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Stockport Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed at events including the Lake Constance Festival, the Bad Kissingen Music Festival, the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Since 2017, he has held a teaching post at the Eisler School of Music.
Aram Amatuni (Yagubyan) was appointed deputy principal cellist of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, having previously held the post of principal cellist with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and at the Staatstheater Stuttgart. Born in St Petersburg, he initially studied in his home city with Prof. Elena Dernova at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire, before continuing his studies with Prof. Leonid Gorokhov at the University of Music, Drama and Media in Hanover and at the Eisler School of Music with Prof. Stephan Forck. He has won prizes at several competitions, including the International Bach Competition in Leipzig. He has also performed at major festivals such as the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and in prestigious concert halls such as the Victoria Hall in Geneva. His debut album, featuring works for cello and piano, was released in September 2023 on the ‘Ars Production’ label.
The Beijing-born cellist Shenghan Gao has been appointed deputy principal cellist with the Aachen Symphony Orchestra. He first learnt to play the cello from his mother, a cellist with the China Philharmonic Orchestra, before studying at the Eisler School under Prof. Stephan Forck and Prof. Troels Svane. He subsequently completed his concert examination at the Freiburg University of Music under Prof. Elena Cheah and Prof. Jean-Guihen Queyras. Following an orchestra academy at the Staatskapelle Berlin, he served as deputy principal cellist with the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing and, most recently, as deputy principal cellist with the Mecklenburg State Orchestra in Schwerin. As a soloist, he has performed with, amongst others, the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and the China Youth Philharmonic. His concert engagements have taken him to China, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the USA.