Biography
Florence Altenburger began playing the violin at the age of 6. Native to Paris, France, she resided in Washington, DC for 12 years where she was a tenured member of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra and performed with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra (summers). She maintained a private studio and also taught the DC Youth Orchestra program.

In 1989 she was invited by the Canadian Government to attend the "Banff Center of the Arts" where she obtained an Artist Diploma. She performed as a soloist with the Calgary Symphony and also performed chamber music with Kim Kashkashian and Philip Naegele.

Following, she obtained a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a Master's Degree with Miriam Fried at Indiana University.

During her time with the London Symphony Orchestra Ms Altenburger toured Germany, France and England and performed and recorded with many notable conductors among whom were Sir George Solti, André Previn, Mtislav Rostropovich, Zubin Mehta, Sir Colin Davis and Michael Tilson Thomas. While at Tanglewood she worked with Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Osawa and Simon Rattle.

She also performed with the string sextet "Sextet de l’Artoi" which had 80 performances a year and a recording contract under the REM label. They recorded Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and Rimsky Korsakov sextets as well as contemporary works from Mauricio Kagel, Luis de Pablo, Nicolas Bacri and Enrico Corregia. They premiered and recorded numerous other contemporary works from Ricardo Del Fra, N'Guyen Dao, Xavier Darasse, Michael Levinas, Elisabeth Sikora and Yoshihisa Taira. The sextet played in major chamber music halls and festivals such as the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Alicante Festival in Spain and Lyon's Opera House.

Additionally, Ms. Altenburger was a member of the European Union Chamber Orchestra. This ensemble, based in London, was comprised of 15 musicians from European countries and toured extensively in the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe.

Florence Altenburger lives now in London and teaches at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Orchestral Work

Florence's orchestral work includes Baltimore Opera (core member, 1999-2008), Grand Teton Festival, Baltimore Syphony Orchesta, Kennedy Center Opera, London Symphony Orchestra (trial, 1996-1997, touring in Germany, France and Spain), London Philharmonic Orchesra (trial, 1997), London Mozart Players, Salzburg Chamber Soloists, European Union Chamber Orchestra (member, 1995-1996), Lyon Opera (member, 1988-1989).

Chamber Music includes Washington DC Conservatory Chamber Players (1999), Sextet de l'Artois (1992-1994).

Recordings include London Symphony Orchestra (Mahler's Seventh Symphony and Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien with Michael Tilson Thomas; works by Ravel, Stravinsky and Bartok with Kent Nagano; Standing Stone with Paul McCartney and Lawrence Foster) and Sextet de l'Artois (Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence, Rimsky Korsakov's String Sextet and recordings of new music).

Festivals include:

• Tanglewood Music Centre. Conductors: Sir Simon Rattle, Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Bernstein, Leon Fleisher, Lukas Foss, Oliver Knussen, Jeffrey Tate. Florence was also selected for the sonata program. (1989-1991)
• Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Utrecht, Holland, studying with Philippe Hirschorn (1988)
• Carl Flesch Academy, Germany, under Rainer Kussmaul (concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) (1988)
• Bela Bartok Akademy of Szombathely, studying Bela Bartok's Quartets with György Kurtág (1986)

Education
Florence's graduate studies took place at

• Conservatoire National de Boulogne Billancourt, France (Violin performance, 1979-1985)
• Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon (Violin performance, with minor in art history, 1985-1988)
• The Banff Cener of The Arts, Canada (Advanced Study Diploma, 1988-1989, including performances with Phillip Naegele and Kim Kashkashian, playing first violin in Dvorak's String Sextet and Mozart's Piano Quartet.
• Inidiana University (Master of Music with minor in French Literature, 1989-1992). Member of Early Music Ensemble conducted by Stanley Ritchie.
• The Catholic University of America (Doctor of Music Art, with major in violin performance, 1998-2000)

Prizes and Awards

• Scholarships to The Catholic University of America, University of Maryland, Indiana University, Fullbright Scholarship, Tanglewood Music Center and The Banff Centre Of The Arts.
• Banff Centre Concerto Competitions, playing Chausson's Poème, Op.25 with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (1988-1989)
• Offer of Carl Flesch Academy Recital Competition (1987)
• Excellence prize in violin, Conservatoire National de Boulogne-Billancourt (1985)
• First prize in violin and chamber music, Conservatoire National de Boulogne-Billancourt (1984)

Teachers: Elisabth Atkins, Miriam Fried, Veda Reynolds, Jean Lenert. Masterclasses with Joseph Gingold, Rostislav Dubinsky, János Starker, Phillip Naegele, Kim Kashkashian, Richard Goode, Bernard Greenhouse, Thomas Brandis, Gerard Caussé, Isobel Rolston, Steve Staryk and Paul Badura-Skoda.

Florence joined Morgensterns in March 2010

Florence's web profile was last updated 25th Sep 2010

[an error occurred while processing this directive]