Tabea Zimmermann is an artist of remarkable versatility. Internationally renowned as a soloist and chamber musician, she combines a distinguished performing career with teaching, artistic leadership, and a strong commitment to fostering young talent and contemporary music. While the viola remains at the heart of her work, her activities extend far beyond performance, allowing her to contribute her experience, curiosity, and sense of social responsibility to musical life.

Zimmermann’s career began early: she made her debut at the Berlin Philharmonie at the age of eleven and gained international recognition through major competition prizes in the early 1980s. At just 21, she became the youngest professor in Germany. Teaching remains central to her identity, notably at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, the Kronberg Academy, and through masterclasses, often maintaining close artistic ties with former students.

A key figure in contemporary music, Zimmermann has significantly expanded the viola repertoire. György Ligeti dedicated his solo sonata to her, and composers such as Heinz Holliger, Wolfgang Rihm, Georges Lentz, Enno Poppe, and Michael Jarrell have written works for her. She advocates strongly for stylistic diversity, seeing contemporary music as essential to deepening interpretations of classical repertoire.

Committed to artistic depth, she limits her performances to around 50 per year and places particular emphasis on chamber music and collaborative, non-hierarchical forms of music-making. She has worked closely with leading ensembles and orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Resonanz, and the National Youth Orchestra of Germany, often leading projects from within the ensemble.

Zimmermann has held residencies with major orchestras and festivals and continues to shape musical life through leadership roles. She was president of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn for seven years and is currently president of the Swiss Hindemith Foundation. Since 2023, she has chaired the board of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation and also leads the David Shallon Foundation, which supports intercultural and socially engaged music projects.

For her outstanding artistic and societal contributions, Tabea Zimmermann has received numerous honors, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and honorary membership of the German Music Council.