Tanja Becker-Bender

• Name — Tanja Becker-Bender • Born — 11 February 1978 • Birthplace — Stuttgart • Education — Master of Music Artist Diploma • Alma Mater — Juilliard School Mozarteum University of Salzburg • Occupation — violinist

Born in Stuttgart, Becker-Bender has performed since age of eleven as a soloist on international stages under the baton of Kurt Masur, Gerd Albrecht, Hubert Soudant and Fabio Luisi with renowned orchestras, such as the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician she appeared in festivals together with Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Boris Pergamenschikow and Arnold Steinhardt. Becker-Bender won prizes and awards in national and international competitions such as in Geneva (Switzerland, CIEM), Tokyo (Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award), Belgium (Concours International de Musique de Chimay), Gorizia (Italy, Premio Rodolfo Lipizer), Genoa (Italy, Premio Nicolò Paganini), Greensboro (North Carolina, Eastern Music Festival) and in Houston (Texas, Houston Symphony League Award).

She received her instrumental education by Helmut Zehetmair at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg, Wolfgang Marschner in Freiburg, Wilhelm Melcher in Stuttgart, by David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and Günter Pichler at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She completed her studies by the Master of Music and the Artist Diploma with Robert Mann at the Juilliard School in New York.

Becker-Bender was director in the violin program of the European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) 2004 and 2005 in Paris. In 2006, Becker-Bender was appointed Professor of Violin at the University of Music Saar in Saarbrücken, Germany, succeeding Maxim Vengerov. In spring 2009, she received an appointment for a professorship at the University of Music and Theater Hamburg and another such appointment at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She started her teaching activity as professor of Violin at the University of Music and Theater Hamburg in winter term 2009/2010. In 2011, she was elected for a member of the Freie Akademie der Künste Hamburg.