Annette Unger

In 1992, Annette Unger became one of the youngest-ever members of the Dresden Musikhochschule faculty when named professor of violin, after studying violin there with KV Prof. Karl Unger. She gained further valuable artistic insight through working with Eduard Melkus (violin) and Semjon Skigin (chamber music). She regularly appears in concert as a soloist in Germany, Austria, France, Norway, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Spain, Korea, Switzerland, and Japan, performing with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg State Capella, Elblandphilharmonie Sachsen, Lüneburger Sinfoniker and the Dresdner Kapellsolisten with Conductors such as Hobart Earle, Klaus Zoephel, Urs Theus, Ekkehard Klemm and others. Much in demand as a chamber music partner, Unger has collaborated with artists such as Arkadi Zenziper, Nils Mönkemeyer, Peter Rösel, Ilya Konovalov, Vladimir Bukac, Danjulo Ishizaka, Hae Won Chang, Mihal Kanka, Maki Mori and Alexander Rudin.

Concert engagements have taken her to the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the Ishikawa Ongakudo Concert Hall Kanazawa, Vienna’s Gesellschaft für Musiktheater, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional de Musica, the Rudolfinum Prague, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Seoul Arts Center, Petersburg State Kapella and to numerous international music festivals.

Her recordings on the GENUIN label of sonatas and chamber music works ranging from the baroque period to 20th century music have met with high critical praise. In 1999 she founded the Internationale Musikakademie Meißen e. V. as well as the academy’s International Szymon Goldberg Competition for Violin and Viola to promote young talent. In addition, she gives master classes in Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Korea and the US and serves as a jury member at international competitions.

Annette Unger plays a Cornelius Schneider Marfels violin (Erlangen 2008).

Sebastian Câșleanu

Sebastian Câșleanu was born in Münster (Germany), in a family with a musical tradition. He began studying the violin with his father, Liviu Câșleanu, and continued his musical training with renowned professors such as Zakhar Bron, Rosa Fain, Mihaela Martin, and Boris Kuschnir.

He is a laureate of several national and international competitions including Queen Sophie Charlotte (Germany), Enescu Competition (Romania), Jugend musiziert (Germany), Rovere d’Oro (Italy), Jeunesses Musicales (Romania), Henryk Wieniawski/Karol Lipiński (Poland), and International Violin Competition Brentonico (Italy).

Sebastian is a devoted chamber musician and has won several competitions as first violinist of the Giocoso String Quartet, including the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition (Australia), and has also received the Special Prize at the ARD International Music Competition (Germany) and the Aix-en-Provence Festival Prize (France). He has given solo and chamber music concerts throughout Europe, the U.S., Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

Sebastian Câșleanu is a dedicated pedagogue and currently teaches at the University of Music Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden and, starting in October 2026, at the University of Music and Theatre Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig.

From 2016 to 2017, he served as first concertmaster of the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, and since 2019, he has been first concertmaster of the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg. He is also regularly invited to serve as guest first concertmaster with internationally renowned orchestras throughout Europe.