Daniel Kurz and Sophie Pardatscher win orchestra positions
Two students from Prof Martin Spangenberg's clarinet class take up positions in renowned orchestras: Daniel Kurz will become principal clarinettist and associate member of the Kammerakademie Potsdam and Sophie Pardatscher was successful in the audition for the position of 2nd clarinet with a commitment to E flat clarinet at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Both will take up their positions in the 2024/25 season.
Daniel Kurz studied in Salzburg and Graz before joining the Eisler in 2019 for a master's programme. He gained orchestral experience in the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the hr-Sinfonieorchester and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2017 to 2019 scholarship holder in the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker. He has been playing as principal clarinettist with the Kammerakademie Potsdam for several years.
Sophie Pardatscher has also been studying for a Master's degree at the Eisler since 2019, having previously completed her Bachelor's degree at the conservatory in Bolzano in her native South Tyrol. She has won prizes at several competitions, including 1st prize at the International Clarinet Competition Saverio Mercadante and 3rd prize at the Concorso internazionale per clarinetto Città di Carlino. As a prizewinner of the ‘musica juventutis’ competition in Vienna, her concert performance at the Wiener Konzerthaus in 2018 was broadcast on Austrian classical radio station OE1. She was a scholarship holder of the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker from 2021 to 2023. The clarinettist previously played in the Dresden Philharmonic on a temporary contract.