Giorgio Bani came to the flute by chance: the other three available instruments were already occupied when he started middle  at the local music school after his older brother and two friends, so he took up flute lessons. But that was a lucky draw. Apart from that, Giorgio also likes the piano: “It's like having a whole orchestra under your hands”.

His favorite composer? “It sounds like an obvious answer, but Beethoven is the composer who touches me the most.” In an alternative life, he would see himself in a profession that brings him “into contact with nature”. And the favorite food of our flautist from Bergamo, Italy, is “definitely lasagna”.

Violinist Veronika Kahrer is still in the process of discovering her favourite places in Berlin during “outings with friends”, as her weekend schedule naturally often includes practice, rehearsals and concerts. The Austrian fell in love with her instrument at an early age: “I heard a string ensemble and told my mum that I wanted to play in it. She then told me that I had to learn the violin and I replied: Ok, I'll do that.” Said and done!

So, from that point on, her main goal was to make music with others – right now in our Second Violin section. In addition to the violin, Veronika would like to master the piano better and she also enjoys singing. If she weren't a musician, she would perhaps work “in the health sector, maybe as a physiotherapis”. She likes Mediterranean cuisine - preferably when family and friends are sitting round the table with her.

Double bassist Minchul Kim (not in the header picture) tries to spend time with his dog at weekends. You can find them in the Tiergarten or out for a walk in Potsdam.

Minchul has had an interesting career with his instrument - it's just got bigger and bigger: “I've been playing the violin as a hobby since kindergarten and in elementary school, I played the cello. Eventually, I fell in love with music and was captivated by the bass sound, so I decided to major in bass in high school.” His favourite composer is Anton Bruckner: “His harmonies are truly beautiful! They automatically bring tears to my eyes.”

The fact that Pei-Ying Lee now plays in our first violin section as an academy member had to do with Berlin right from the start: “When I was three years old, I wanted to learn to play the violin because I watched a DVD of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Plácido Domingo conducted a “Spanish Night” at the Waldbühne and the violinist Sarah Chang played gypsy tunes by Pablo de Sarasate in 2001. It was very impressive for me and I told my mother that I wanted to play the violin. But my mother is a pianist, so I learned piano from her first. Two years later, I finally got my first violin lessons!”

The Museum Island with its historic buildings is the Taiwanese-born violinist's favorite place in Berlin. Her favorite composer is Mozart and apart from the violin, she plays the piano “and a bit of guitar”. If she weren't a musician, Pei-Ying would perhaps open a restaurant, because she loves “delicious food - especially Taiwanese beef noodles”.

Tigran Mirzoian, the academy's percussionist, likes the Berlin boulevard Unter den Linden: “I like how wide and open the street is. It reminds me of the city I come from - St Petersburg.” He would like to be able to play the cello and also the piano “at a professional level”. If he hadn't become a musician, you might have met him in the field of photography or in the film industry.

David Navarro plays in our second violin section and enjoys the different sides of Berlin: “I often relax quietly with a few friends. But when I have a few days off, I really like to go dancing, it's so much fun!” He doesn't have a favorite place here, he likes wherever he meets nice people. 

David doesn't have one favorite composer either, but many - “... Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Mahler...” depending on his mood. In an alternative world, he would probably be a psychologist, he suspects. It runs in the family, as it is his mother's profession. His father was a répétiteur at the conservatory in Valencia: “As a result, I always saw and heard a lot of violinists at home. I had my first lessons when I was three years old.” Oh, and “without a doubt” pizza is his favorite food!

Our academy's violist Yeunwoo Park comes from Korea. Her favourite place in Berlin is Treptower Park: “I go there when I have time, want to get a breath of fresh air or need a break.” When it comes to her alternative orchestral instrument, she's really sure: “Clarinet! I love the clarinet's timbre and the special atmosphere it creates and would love to learn to play it if I had the chance!” Asked for her favourite dishes, she effortlessly manages the balancing act between her current adopted country and her homeland: “I like German food with tarte flambée and Korean food with Korean pancakes best.”

Because good posture is very important for making music, our violist Barok Bostanci, who comes from Ankara, reserves as much time as possible for sport, especially on weekends, in addition to practising his instrument. His favourite place to do this is in Franckepark in Tempelhof. He was first inspired to play his instrument by a good teacher at the conservatory. Barok is also an electric guitar fan – he favours the Gibson Les Paul Traditional. If he weren’t a violist, he would enjoy building string instruments for a living. His favourite food is shrimp casserole!

On her first visit to Berlin, violinist Elena Cotrone fell in love with the Hackesche Höfe: “I also like that there are quiet, beautiful, almost secret places next to every big street in Berlin. I like getting lost in the city!” She found her way to the violin at the music school's open day: “I totally loved the teacher's lessons.” So the piano, which she actually wanted to learn, was quickly forgotten.

What would her life be like if she didn't play the violin professionally? “Then I would open a bookshop with a café and organise concerts there on a small stage.”

Besides literature, Elena loves painting and has a special collection: “Every time I go to a museum, I buy a bag afterwards with a motif of a painter I like.” The Frenchwoman's favourite meal is “pâtes à l'ail” made from her grandmother's recipe: “For the sauce you need fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil, with pasta and Parmigiano. Very tasty!”

Hyejin Kim likes to start the weekend with a cup of pour over coffee. Then it's time for a short practice session on the cello - she chose her instrument when she was a little girl because it was bigger than a violin. Her sister played the violin!

After practising, she meets up with friends to try out restaurants and cafés, discover galleries - in short, to enjoy the beautiful sides of the big city. And if the weather is not good? Then she likes to stay at home in her pyjamas! Hyejin, who comes from Seoul, collects fridge magnets from all the places she visits.

“Before the pandemic, I only played the violin in my life, although I was always interested in viola. After a few tries, I fell in love with its warm sound and immediately decided to switch completely,” Mao Konishi (not in the header picture) says. Schumann, Bartók and Hindemith are her favourite composers - by the way, there are great pieces for viola by all of them. Piano would also be an instrument for her.

If the Japanese from Kyoto weren't a musician, she would work as a zoological scientist - no wonder that Mao's favourite places in Berlin are the Zoo and the Tierpark. And what does she like to eat? “Spicy dishes!”

When you're new to Berlin, it's good to have friends who show you the best places: Our cellist Sofía Ogas, who was born in Argentina and grew up in Spain, gets to know the city this way, especially on weekends. The Argentinean owes her instrument to her parents, who encouraged her to play it - and to the cello teacher at the music school, because he “was very cool”.

When it comes to orchestral works, Gustav Mahler is her “No. 1”. If she had time, she would “very much like to sit down at the piano again. The lessons in college were great”. Alternative instrument in the orchestra? “Definitely double bass!”

In a parallel world, Sofía would be social worker. Her favourite food, homemade gnocchi, is part of special occasions in her family.