Nils Mönkemeyer

Artistic brilliance and innovative programming are the hallmarks that have established Nils Mönkemeyer as one of the most internationally successful violists and brought his instrument considerable attention.

In his programmes, Mönkemeyer explores a wide musical spectrum, ranging from discoveries and premiere recordings of original viola repertoire from the 18th century to contemporary works and his own arrangements. This diversity is also reflected in his recordings for Sony Classical, which have received numerous awards and widespread critical acclaim. His most recent album, Dance for Two, recorded with recorder player Dorothee Oberlinger, brings together works spanning more than a thousand years of music history, most of them in his own arrangements for this unusual instrumental combination.

Highlights of Nils Mönkemeyer's 2026/27 season as a soloist include performances of Martinů's Rhapsody-Concerto and Holst's Lyric Movement with the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig under Elias Grandy, Tüür's Illuminatio with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra under Case Scaglione, and Bartók's Viola Concerto with the Orchestra of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz under Rubén Dubrovsky and the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra under Seokwon Hong.

As a chamber musician, Nils Mönkemeyer will appear at renowned festivals this season, including Beethovenfest Bonn, classicAscona and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Special chamber music projects 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 the Esprit Orchestra in Toronto, following Mönkemeyer's world premiere of the work with the Basel Symphony Orchestra. Further major engagements took him to the Bremen Philharmonic, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra. Festival appearances included the Rheingau Musik Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Mozartfest Würzburg, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Chamber Music Festival at Toppan Hall in Tokyo. Special chamber music projects also included trio concerts in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Leipzig with Sabine Meyer and William Youn, a recital with Dorothee Oberlinger, his Viola Latina! project in Lucerne with members of the Bach Consort Vienna, and a European tour with the Julia Fischer Quartet.

Nils Mönkemeyer regularly collaborates with conductors such as Andrey Boreyko, Sylvain Cambreling, Constantinos Carydis, Nicholas Collon, Reinhard Goebel, Pietari Inkinen, Vladimir Jurowski, Joana Mallwitz, Andrew Manze, Cornelius Meister, Marc Minkowski, Kent Nagano, Markus Poschner, Kristiina Poska, Michael Sanderling, Clemens Schuldt, Markus Stenz, Mario Venzago and Simone Young.

As a soloist, he has performed with numerous renowned orchestras, including the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, 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 Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Dresden Philharmonic, Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, SWR Symphony Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Munich Chamber Orchestra and Berlin Baroque Soloists.

Last year, Nils Mönkemeyer was appointed Professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, having previously held a professorship at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich since 2011. The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (Deutscher Hochschulverband) named him University Teacher of the Year 2025, making him the first musician ever to receive this distinction.

Nils Mönkemeyer plays a viola made by Philipp Augustin.