„Kloeckner shows how sensitive , imaginative and longingly beautiful one can play the Cello“

- Süddeutsche Zeitung

Vita

Benedict Kloeckner is one of the most outstanding cellists of his generation.



 A prizewinner of numerous international competitions, he  performs as a soloist with prestigious orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, the Radio Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, the Kremerata Baltica, the MDR Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. 


His career has led him to collaborate with renowned conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Sanderling, Ingo Metzmacher, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Joana Mallwitz, Cristian Măcelaru and Sir Simon Rattle.


He has performed in prestigious concert halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Suntory Hall Tokyo, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Tonhalle in Zurich and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.


 Benedict Kloeckner is also a regular guest at international festivals, sharing the stage with artists such as Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Gidon Kremer and Anne-Sophie Mutter.


For over 10 years, he has been artistic director of the Koblenz International Music Festival, IMUKO, which he founded. In the recent years, he welcomed at IMUKO legendary conductor Myung Whun Chung and played under the direction of Raphaël Merlin, Gabriel Bebeșelea, Leon Botstein and performed with Augustin Dumay, and the Modigliani Quartet.


In 2025/2026, he will play as a soloist and in recitals in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonie Berlin, the Philharmonie Cologne, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Suntory Hall Tokyo and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. 

In 2026/2027, he will return to New York to play in Lincoln Center under the direction of Jonathon Heyward, to the big hall of Berlin Philharmonie with both Haydn Concertos, to the Cologne Philharmonie with Schumann concerto and give his debut with the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing.



His latest album Dvořák, recorded with Cristian Măcelaru, the Romanian Chamber Orchestra and Danae Dörken, was released by Berlin Classics in 2024 and has already collected over 600,000 streams. The Strad magazine praises Benedict Kloeckner's "addictive and sensual tone", while Gramophone magazine highlights the "architectural sensibility of Cristian Macelaru and Benedict Kloeckner".

A new recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto with Cristian Macelaru will be released in 2026.

In 2023, his recording of the Brahms Sonatas with Yu Kosuge was released by Sony.

His discography also includes the complete Bach Suites, which he has performed at the Berlin Philharmonie and the Alte Oper Frankfurt. His recordings have been acclaimed by the press and have won awards such as the OPUS Klassik Award and the Supersonic Award.


He collaborates closely with contemporary composers and has premiered several works, including those by Wolfgang Rihm, Eun Hwa Cho, Eric Tanguy and Dai Fujikura. He presented the Austrian premiere of Fujikura's Cello Concerto with Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg and the world premiere of Eun Hwa Cho's Cello Concerto under Christoph Poppen at Seoul Arts Center.


Benedict Kloeckner received his training at the Karlsruhe University of Music with Martin Ostertag and at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and Gary Hoffman.


Benedict Klöckner is a Professor at the École Normale de Musique Paris.



He plays on the cello "Ex Maurice Gendron" by Francesco Ruggeri (1680), which is generously made available to him.


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