Ulrich Heinen

Ulrich Heinen was born in Ittenbach near Bonn, Germany. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne under Siegfried Palm and with Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. He won several national and international competitions.

After graduating he took up the position of Principal Cello with the Radio Orchestra Saarbrücken Germany, and in the same year became member of the Czapary String Trio, earning an outstanding reputation for the interpretation of Mozart and Schubert.

In 1984, at Sir Simon Rattle’s invitation, Ulrich Heinen settled in England, to become Principal Cellist and Section Leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. His formidable technique and musicianship allowed him to further develop his solo career with recitals, concerto performances and regular appearances on BBC Radio 3. As recitalist and chamber musician he collaborated with outstanding pianists such as Stephen Hough, Leif Ove Andnes, Thomas Adès and Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

In 1987 he co-founded the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG), which subsequently became one of Britain’s most important ensembles for contemporary music. He has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.

He has recorded for EMI Turnage’s Cello Concerto ‘Kai’, which was written for him, and for METIER Bach’s Cello Suites together with cello solo pieces by Howard Skempton, Gerald Barry, Simon Holt, Hans Werner Henze and Bernd Alois Zimmermann.