Berlin Philharmonic Passes Three Players' Probationary Periods

Violinists Eva Rabchevska, Harry Ward, and Roxana Wisniewska have officially joined the orchestra as tutti members

Three violinists have passed their probationary period with the Berlin Philharmonic and are now officially members of the orchestra; the trio are also alumni of Berlin Phil’s prestigious Karajan Academy.

Born into a musical family, Spanish violinist Roxana Wisniewska has been playing in Berlin Philharmonic’s first violin section since March 2023. Formerly a member of the Staatskapelle Berlin Academy, she is a graduate of Centro Superior Katarina Gurska, the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, and the Dresden University of Music. Her mentors have included Zohrab Tadevosyan, Ana Chumachenco, and Natascha Prischepenko. 

The Australian violinist Harry Ward also joined the first violin section in March 2023. He has attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, the Robert McDuffie Centre for Strings, and the Australian National Academy of Music, studying with Peter Zhang, Alice Waten, Boris Kuschnirand, David Halen, Amy Moretti, and Robin Wilson. 

Additionally, Ward’s studies were supported by several scholarships, including the Musica Viva Australia Futuremaker and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

Eva Rabchevska has played in the second violin section since January 2024. Born in Ukraine, she made her debut at the age of eight with the Lviv Chamber Orchestra. After studying with Mariia Futorska, Yaroslava Rivnyak, and Jozef Kopelman, she completed her undergraduate and Master’s degrees at Madrid’s Escuela Superior de Musica Reine Sofia with Zakhar Bron. 

Having also studied with Antje Weithaas at Berlin’s Hanns Eisler School of Music, Rabchevska has won numerous prizes, including first prize of the Stuttgart International Violin Competition.

“Three string players have passed their probationary period with the Berliner Philharmoniker and are now members of the orchestra,” the ensemble wrote on its website. “We congratulate them!”