Sebastian Herberg

Sebastian Herberg has been principal viola of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden for over 30 years and has been a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna since 2016.

He was born in 1968 into a family of musicians and theatre artists in Potsdam. His grandfather Willy Herberg, who was a violist in the Staatskapelle Berlin, awakened in him a love of the viola. He received his first lessons on the instrument at the Potsdam Music School with Marita Grunwald.

Sebastian Herberg completed his studies at the Franz Liszt School of Music in Weimar with Prof Thomas Wünsch. This was followed by additional studies at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin with Prof Alfred Lipka. He received important impulses for his artistic development as principal violist of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra in 1989 and 1990 from Leonard Bernstein and Sir Georg Solti, among others.

In 1991, Sebastian Herberg took up his first engagement as principal viola with the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin before moving to the same position with the Staatskapelle Dresden in 1994.

Herberg has performed as a soloist under conductors such as Michael Sanderling, Sakari Oramo and Fabio Luisi in major concert halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Mozarteum Salzburg, Kitarra Hall and the Lucerne Festival Theatre. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Dresdner Kapellsolisten, of which he was a founding member.

With the Dresdner Streichtrio, which celebrated its 25th stage anniversary in 2020 and continues to exist under its current name ‘Streichtrio Dresden’, as well as the Dresdner Oktett and the Arabella Quartett, he has performed concerts all over the world.

Various CD recordings, released by labels such as Sony, Querstand and Hänssler, bear witness to his great passion for chamber music and his work as a soloist.

Sebastian Herberg has been teaching the next generation of musicians since the founding of the Giuseppe Sinopoli Academy of the Staatskapelle Dresden. He has been a guest professor at the Pacific Music Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra on several occasions. He also taught at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music Dresden for many years before taking up his professorship at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in 2016.

In August 1994 Sebastian Herberg was appointed principal voila of the Staatskapelle Dresden. In addition he is on the faculty of the Carl Maria von Weber Conservatory of Music, where he tutors young violists.

He has appeared in concert in Germany and abroad as a soloist as well as a member of the »Dresden String Trio«, which he joined in 1995. Sebastian Herberg has already released six CDs as a soloist and chamber musician.