Thomas Brandis

Thomas Brandis was a German violinist. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg under Eva Hauptmann and later continued his training in London with Max Rostal. After winning the ARD International Competition, he became concertmaster of the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. In 1961, he joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as first violin, a position he held until 1983, performing under conductors including Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, Joseph Keilberth, Georg Solti, Eugen Jochum, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, and Klaus Tennstedt. He also founded the Brandis Quartet in 1976, performing at major festivals across Europe, Japan, and America. Brandis recorded for labels including EMI, Deutsche Grammophon, Teldec, Orfeo, and Harmonia Mundi. As an educator, he served as professor at the Berlin University of the Arts until 2002 and later at the Musikhochschule Lübeck. He died on March 30, 2017.