We mourn the loss of Prof. Stephan Picard
10 September 1960 – 18 July 2026
It is with deep sadness that we have learnt of the death of our violin professor, Stephan Picard, who passed away completely unexpectedly and far too soon at the age of just 65. With his passing, our school has lost an outstanding violinist, an influential teacher and a long-standing, highly esteemed colleague.
Stephan Picard was born in Barcelona in 1960 and studied under Saschko Gawriloff, Rami Shevelov, Ilona Gheorghiu and Roman Nodel in Essen, Hanover and Mannheim. A much sought-after chamber musician, he was a member of the Michelangelo String Quartet and the Mendelssohn Trio Berlin, and performed at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Wigmore Hall in London. For many years, he served as concertmaster at the Theater Aachen and with the Munich Chamber Orchestra, and performed as a freelance musician with the Berlin Philharmonic.
From 1991, Stephan Picard served as Professor of Violin at the Detmold and Mainz Universities of Music before accepting a post at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin in 1995. Following his retirement in September 2025, he remained associated with our academy as a visiting professor. Here, over the course of three decades, he shaped generations of violinists; many of his students now work as professors, orchestral musicians, chamber musicians and soloists themselves. For over ten years, he played an active role in shaping the college as head of department and a member of the Academic Senate.
With the passing of Stephan Picard, we have lost an outstanding musician and a passionate, caring teacher, whose door was always open to his students and whose advice and warmth have accompanied many of us over the years. His sudden death leaves a painful void in our university community.
Amongst the teaching staff, students and alumni, as well as within the administration, we remember an open, warm-hearted teacher and dedicated colleague who devoted himself wholeheartedly to his students and to the school.
It is with deep sadness that we commemorate his lifetime’s achievements as an artist and educator, and we shall always remember Stephan Picard with gratitude. Our thoughts are with his wife, his friends, his colleagues and his many students around the world at this difficult time.
On behalf of the school community
Prof. Andrea Tober
President