Berlin Philharmonic Welcomes New Member

The 25-year-old cellist Moritz Huemer will join the acclaimed orchestra in 2025

Hailing from Liechtenstein, Moritz Huemer recently won an audition for the Berlin Philharmonic and will join the ensemble under the direction of its chief conductor Kirill Petrenko as of May 2025.

Huemer first started cello lessons at the age of five with Josef Hofer at the Liechtenstein Music School. From 2015 to 2018, he was in Rafael Rosenfeld's class at the Basel Music Academy and attended the high school in Feldkirch. 

In 2018, he was accepted to Weimar’s Franz Liszt Academy of Music and started studies with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. His other mentors included Jens Peter Maintz, David Geringas, and Thomas Grossenbacher. 

Among his achievements include the third prize at the “Ton und Sicherheit” competition and being accompanied in the final by the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover. 

He is also a scholarship recipient at the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein, and a regular section leader in the Liechtenstein Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble Esperanza chamber orchestra. 

Huemer’s association with the Berlin Philharmonic began in 2022, when he started studying at its Karajan Academy with the orchestra’s Principal Cellist since 1996, Olaf Maninger.

Additionally, Huemer has been a scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation and the Villa Musica Academy for Chamber Music since 2021. 

“Moritz, who grew up in Maureen, participated in several intensive weeks at the Music Academy in Liechtenstein, met two of his professors here and was the vocalist of the ensemble Esperanza, which is made of scholarship to the Music Academy,” the Liechtenstein Music Academy posted on Facebook. “We are proud to be able to accompany Moritz on his path and congratulate him on this success!”