Rafael Rosenfeld

Rafael Rosenfeld, born in Lucerne, is one of the most versatile cellists of his generation. He trained with Walter Grimmer in Zurich and David Geringas in Lübeck; equally formative were his encounters with Sándor Végh, György Kurtág, András Schiff, Radu Lupu, Steven Isserlis and Bernard Greenhouse.
His international breakthrough came in 1994, when he reached the final of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, followed by a laureate’s title at the ARD Competition in Munich in 1996 and, finally, first prize at the Geneva International Music Competition in 2000 – launching appearances in Milan, Stuttgart, Rotterdam and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
At just 22, he became principal cellist of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, a position he still holds part-time today, alternating between solo work, chamber music and orchestral playing. As a sought-after chamber music partner, he performs with, among others, András Schiff, Heinz Holliger and Tabea Zimmermann.
With the Merel Quartet, he appears in halls such as Wigmore Hall in London and at festivals including the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival. Since 2005 he has also been Professor of Cello at the Basel Academy of Music, and since 2015 co-artistic director of the Zwischentöne Engelberg chamber music festival.