Marie Christine Zupancic

Marie-Christine Zupancic is Section Leader Flute of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Born in Oberhausen (Germany) in 1979, Marie-Christine grew up in the Lower Rhine Area and started playing the flute and the piano at the age of eight. After winning numerous prizes in the German Youth competition 'Jugend Musiziert' with both instruments, she studied flute at the conservatoire in Cologne where Robert Winn was her teacher.

Together with fellow students, Marie-Christine founded the woodwind quintet 'Sponte', and after winning a scholarship of 'Villa Musica' the ensemble went on tour to Chile and China. Marie-Christine was also a prize-winner in several international flute competitions, such as Bayreuth, Cracow, Moulins and Cremona.

After graduating in 2003, Marie-Christine won the audition for the distinguished Karajan Academy and subsequently played with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for two years. She worked with many distinguished conductors and was particularly influenced by Sir Simon Rattle. Concerts included a tour to America in 2003, the Easter Festival in Salzburg in 2004 and many live television broadcasts.

Marie-Christine started working frequently with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in November 2005 and joined the orchestra in the position of Section Leader Flute in September 2006. At the same time she became a member of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Marie-Christine frequently works as a soloist with her orchestra as well, most recently in Mozart's G-major concerto under the baton of Andris Nelsons. She is also a regular guest in the Centre Stage chamber music series in the CBSO centre.

Marie-Christine plays a 14k Brannen-Cooper flute that was handmade for her in Boston in 2013.