Estelle Weber
Estelle was born in Ulm and began to take violin lessons at the age of five. She received several first prizes in national and international competitions such as:
- 1st Federal Prize Jugend Musiziert 2014 and 2017
- 1st Prize International Violin Competition “Violin & Friends” in Malta
- 1st Prize international competition “Musical Fireworks” in Mühlacker.
Since 2006 she has been taught by Ms Natalija Raithel from Munich at the Music School Giengen an der Brenz. She also plays piano since she was 8 years old and has been singing since 2011.
In 2014, she was accepted by Professor Christian Sikorski as a junior student at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Stuttgart. Several masterclasses in Switzerland, France, Malta, Germany and the Czech Republic are part of her commitment to her instrument.
Estelle is a scholarship holder of the Hermine-Klenz Foundation and the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and has received an instrument from the instrument fund of this foundation for her achievements already shown at a young age.
In addition to her interest in chamber music, she is also a soloist who played in Paris, Prague, Munich, Stuttgart, Bucharest, Valetta and St. Julian in Malta.
Estelle in the Interview
Why and since when do you play the violin?
At the age of four I heard someone playing the first violin concerto by Paganini on television and was so enthusiastic about the virtuosity and the sound that I really wanted to learn the violin. I started when I was five, almost 12 years ago.
What fascinates you most about music and why?
Music is something ubiquitous. It accompanies you for a lifetime, generating great feelings and moments of being together. I love how music connects people – because it’s one of the few languages we all speak.
Which composer excites you the most and why?
I cannot completely commit myself there. There is an incredible number of composers, each with their own ideas and views. But if I had to name one, it would be Bach, because his pieces have so many facets due to the polyphony as in a few others.
What are your future plans?
I would very much like to bring the music to as many people as possible with my violin, be it in the form of concerts or later maybe as a teacher.
How did you start at the Quartetto Paganino?
I came to the quartet almost by accident. When Mr. Wyneken, who had worked with us indefatigably for the past two years, remembered me from a prelude to the youth competition of Jugend Musiziert, he suggested me. Then I got the request and when I finally met the already existing participants of the quartet, it was actually immediately clear for me that I wanted to participate.
Why do you think the quartet is one of the most sophisticated music formations?
There must be some harmony in the quartet. Whether in the sense of timbre, the positions or the range – to bring this together into one common musical realm requires a lot of clairaudience and tactfulness.
How do you all master this challenge together?
There is one thing above all else: practice, practice, practice!
Which piece from your previously learned repertoire do you like best, and why?
What I liked best, was the eighth string quartet by Dimitri Shostakovich, not only because we worked very hard on this piece, but also because it greatly expanded my understanding of the quartet as a formation.
How do you imagine the future of QP?
I wish that we continue to work as we have done so far and that we continue having this great joy and enthusiasm for making music together.
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