Yann Merker - Biography

At the age of 4, after one year of violin lessons, Yann Merker began studying the cello through the Suzuki Method with Ann Grabe. When Ms. Grabe left for the United States, Yann Merker was 10 years old and had already performed duo concerts with pianist Anne-Lise Dodelier in the Côte St-André and in the Royaume de la Musique in Paris. He also began chamber music and orchestral studies at this time.

At the age 14, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National de Région de Lyon as a member of Patrick Gabard's cello class. His other teachers included Daniel Gaudet for music analysis, Jérôme Dorival for music history and Nathalie Geoffray-Canavesio (Ravel Quartet) for chamber music.

After he received his médaille d'or from the national conservatory, he went to Berlin to complete his cello studies as a member of Professor Stephan Forck's cello class and of Professor Eberhard Feltz's chamber music class, both teaching at the Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler.

During that time he participated in masterclasses led by Stefan Litwin, Michael Endres, Benoît Fromanger, Michael Vogler, Kristin von der Goltz, Troels Svane, Tabea Zimmermann, Wolfgang Böttcher, Kolja Blacher and Stefan Metz.

He has performed in orchestral concerts with Julia Fischer, Kolja Blacher, Guy Braunstein and Sir Simon Rattle. Since 2006, he has given recitals with pianists Anne-Lise Dodelier, Karla Haltenwanger and Gajane Saakjana. He also recorded a whole Recital live with Gajane Saakjana in the autumn of 2008 for Kultur Radio.

Since 2010, he plays respectively as a supplementary cellist and as an akademist with Brandenburger Symphoniker and the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin.

He also co-founded together with Célia Schann, Johanna Pichlmair and Kyoungmin Park the string quartet named CELIA QUARTET.