Nils Mönkemeyer

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Biography

Artistic excellence and imaginative programming have established Nils Mönkemeyer as one of the world’s leading violists, playing a pivotal role in raising the international profile of his instrument. His repertoire spans an exceptional range, from rediscoveries and first recordings of original eighteenth-century viola literature to contemporary works and his own distinctive arrangements. This artistic breadth is equally reflected in his acclaimed recordings for Sony Classical, which have received numerous awards and widespread praise from the international press. His most recent album, Dance for Two, released in spring 2023 with recorder virtuoso Dorothee Oberlinger, brings together music spanning more than a millennium, presented largely in specially created arrangements for this unique instrumental combination.

Highlights of Nils’ 2026/27 season as an orchestral soloist include performances with the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra under Elias Grandy in Martinů’s Rhapsody-Concerto and Holst’s Lyric Movement; the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra under Case Scaglione performing Tüür’s Illuminatio; the Orchester des Staatstheaters am Gärtnerplatz under Rubén Dubrovsky in Bartók’s Viola Concerto; and the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra under Samuel Lee, also performing Bartók’s Viola Concerto. An equally sought-after chamber musician, Nils appears this season at leading festivals including Beethovenfest Bonn, classicAscona and the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Chamber music highlights also include recitals with pianist William Youn at London’s Wigmore Hall and a European tour with the Julia Fischer Quartet.

Highlights of the 2025/26 season included performances of Dieter Ammann’s Viola Concerto with the Munich Chamber Orchestra and Toronto’s Esprit Orchestra, following Nils Mönkemeyer’s acclaimed premiere of the work with the Sinfonieorchester Basel. Further orchestral engagements included appearances with the Bremer Philharmoniker, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra. Festival appearances took him to the Rheingau Musik Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Mozartfest Würzburg, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Chamber Music Festival at Tokyo’s Toppan Hall. Chamber music highlights included trio concerts with Sabine Meyer and William Youn in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Leipzig, a recital with Dorothee Oberlinger, performances of his ¡Viola Latina! project in Lucerne with members of Bach Consort Wien, and a European tour with the Julia Fischer Quartet.

Nils Mönkemeyer collaborates regularly with conductors including Andrey Boreyko, Sylvain Cambreling, Constantinos Carydis, Nicholas Collon, Reinhard Goebel, Pietari Inkinen, Vladimir Jurowski, Joana Mallwitz, Andrew Manze, Cornelius Meister, Mark Minkowski, Kent Nagano, Markus Poschner, Kristiina Poska, Michael Sanderling, Clemens Schuldt, Markus Stenz, Mario Venzago and Simone Young. He has appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Les Musiciens du Louvre, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Last updated July 2026 - No alterations to this biography may be made without the permission of IMG Artists.Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Dresden Philharmonic, Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester, SWR Symphony Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Munich Chamber Orchestra and the Berliner Barock Solisten.

Alongside his international performing career, Nils Mönkemeyer is deeply committed to teaching. Recently appointed Professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, he previously held a professorship at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich from 2011. In 2025, he was named University Teacher of the Year by the German Universities Association—the first musician to receive the distinction. He performs on a viola by Philipp Augustin.