Sophie Heinrich began playing the violin at the age of four and has been performing on stage ever since.
Important teachers during her studies included Prof. Antje Weithaas ((opens in new tab) Hanns Eisler(opens in new tab) Academy of Music Berlin) and Prof. Thomas Brandis, with whom she completed her postgraduate studies in the soloist class at the Lübeck Academy of Music(opens in new tab)with top marks and whose assistant she was until his death.
She received additional musical inspiration from, among others Gidon Kremer(opens in new tab), Midori(opens in new tab), Reinhard Goebel(opens in new tab) and the Artemis Quartet(opens in new tab).
Stages of the career path
Sophie Heinrich is the winner and prizewinner of several international competitions. In 2008 she won the Possehl Music Prize of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. In 2009, she attracted attention as the best German violinist among the final six in the semi-final of the ARD competition in the Herkulessaal in Munich. She has received scholarships from the Study Foundation(opens in new tab)of the German People(opens in new tab)the German Foundation(opens in new tab)musical life(opens in new tab) and the ZEIT Foundation(opens in new tab)and was an active member of the Yehudi Menuhin Association(opens in new tab)Live Music Now.
Concertmaster and violin soloist
Sophie Heinrich – Portrait 2 © Markus Morianz
From 2012 to 2019, Sophie Heinrich was first concertmaster of the Komische Oper Berlin(opens in new tab). She has also regularly appeared as first concertmaster in orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of the(opens in new tab)Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra(opens in new tab), at the Bavarian State Opera, in the Dresden State Orchestra or the Staatskapelle Berlin. From 2019 to 2023, she was concertmaster of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the first woman in the orchestra’s history to do so. She is now a sought-after guest concertmaster for exclusive, selected projects and also conducts symphony orchestras without a conductor (Play&Lead).
As a soloist and chamber musician, Sophie Heinrich performs regularly and gives guest performances at festivals in Germany and abroad. Recordings for 3sat, Takt1 („Ein Heldenleben“ withthe Vienna Symphony Orchestra), arte, ORF, Deutschlandfunk, MDR, BR etc. document her skills as a soloist and chamber musician as well as a concertmaster.
In the 2022/23 season, she was the selected curator and artist of her own concert series at MuTh, the concert hall of the Vienna Boys‘ Choir, and made her debut with In Alma’s music salon also in the narrative role. The project All about Eve which was realized with pianist Maria Radutu follows on from this, combining her own texts with music. In 2026, „All about Eve – die Moderne“ will be launched at MuTh as a continuation of the project, which offers female composers a stage.
In 2024 Sophie Heinrich made her debut as a soloist with orchestras in Sofia, Skopje and Korea. In the 2025/2026 season, there will be further invitations to the Bregenz Festival and first appearances with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the „INSO-Lviv“ Symphony Orchestra of Lviv NationalPhilharmonic.
