Saar Berger

Saar Berger is an internationally acclaimed horn soloist, chamber musician and Professor of Horn at the State University of Music Trossingen, Germany. Recognised for his distinctive musical voice and deeply personal sound, his artistic work spans classical and contemporary repertoire, combining a strong interpretative identity with a continuous curiosity for new forms of musical expression.

For 17 years, Berger was a member of the internationally renowned soloist ensemble Ensemble Modern, performing on major stages worldwide and working closely with leading composers of our time. Numerous solo works, concertos and chamber music compositions have been written for and premiered by him, and his work has contributed significantly to the expansion of contemporary horn repertoire.

Berger studied with Prof. Marie-Luise Neunecker at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and subsequently continued his studies at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts with Prof. Erich Penzel and Prof. Esa Tapani, where he pursued both artistic and soloist studies.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Berger has premiered, performed and recorded works by many of the most significant voices in contemporary music, including Dai Fujikura, Anthony Cheung, Richard Ayres, Matthias Pintscher, Vito Žuraj, Nina Šenk, Jörg Widmann, Heinz Holliger, Thomas Adès, Saed Haddad, Arnulf Herrmann, Miroslav Srnka and Chikage Imai, among many others. He has worked closely with both internationally established and emerging composers, and a substantial part of this repertoire has been written for or developed in collaboration with him, reflecting his long-standing commitment to expanding the artistic and concert repertoire of the horn.

Berger has developed a long-standing artistic and pedagogical connection with Glasgow through performances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, including Scottish premieres of works by Richard Ayres and Vito Žuraj, as well as through several invitations to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as a guest artist and teacher, giving masterclasses, workshops and performances.

Alongside his international performing career, teaching and the development of young musicians form an important part of Berger’s artistic work. At the State University of Music Trossingen, he combines his work as Professor of Horn with the development of international artistic and educational projects and co-leads the Positively Brass & Percussion Institute and its international symposium. He has taught for many years at the Lucerne Festival Academy and is regularly invited to give masterclasses and workshops at festivals and institutions around the world.

His discography reflects the breadth of his artistic interests, ranging from contemporary music to the Baroque repertoire. It includes the solo portrait Traveling Pieces, devoted to new works for horn; Call, Studies & Games with the Ensemble Modern Brass Trio; and Sonorous, a Baroque duo album created in collaboration with Gebr. Alexander Horns. His recording work also encompasses numerous productions with Ensemble Modern, as well as the solo video project Horn Around the World.

His curiosity for the continuing development of the instrument has also led to close collaborations with horn maker Klaus Fehr, contributing to the development of a modern double-horn model, and with David Rodeschini on the creation of a new horn mouthpiece model.