Violist Florian Richter Appointed to Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt"

The 38-year-old is presently principal viola at the Staatskapelle Dresden

Violist Florian Richter has returned to his alma mater, Weimar's Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt," to take up a professorship. Richter is presently principal violist of the Staatskapelle Dresden, and will step into his new teaching position on April 1, 2024.

Born in Oschatz, Richter received his earliest violin lessons from Klaus Hertel in Leipzig. At the age of fifteen, he switched to the viola and attended the Music High School Schloss Belvedere Weimar — where he studied with Erich Wolfgang Krüger.

A prizewinner at Germany's "Jugend musiziert" competition, Richter then proceeded to the University of Music "Franz Liszt" in Weimar, where he continued to work with Krüger and studied with Ditte Leser.

Prior to his work with the Staatskapelle Dresden, he held the principal viola position at the Staatskapelle Weimar and then at the Staatsorchester Stuttgart. Richter has also held a teaching position in Nuremberg since 2017.

"I am delighted that such a top-class violist, on the one hand of course as a practitioner in first solo positions in top international orchestras and on the other hand with his enormous teaching experience and success, is moving the center of his activities to Weimar," said Professor Tim Stolzenburg, the Director of the Department of String Instruments and Harp.

"The greatest joy I feel at my appointment as Professor of Viola at the Weimar University of Music is the opportunity to train new talent in the place that has significantly shaped my musical steps as a violist," Richter said.

"As I spent the majority of my musical training with Prof. Leser and Prof. Krüger at the Music High School Schloss Belvedere and the University of Music in Weimar, I am now delighted to be part of the university as a lecturer."