Peter Hörr is considered to be one of the most interesting and versatile German musicians of his generation; an early interest in “ancient music” leading to seminal studies with Heinrich Schiff and Christophe Coin at the Basel Music Academy made him into the worldwide concert soloist and sought-after chamber musician that he is today. Prize winner of the 1989 Schevenigen International Cello Competition, Peter Hoerr has since appeared as cellist in leading concert halls around the world, including Lincoln Center (New York), Berlin Philharmonic, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Ludwigsburg Festival, Suntory Hall (Tokyo), and Lucerne Festival. At the early age of 23, Peter was appointed Professor at the Bern College of Music, and currently holds a professorship in violoncello at the Leipzig College of Music and Theatre. He gives master classes worldwide. Peter Hoerr is a founding member of the internationally successful Mozart Piano Quartet, which has recorded exclusively for the MDG label since 2002, and 2008 he helped found the Waldstein Quartet. In addition, he has been artistic director of the Westfalen Classics International Music Festival in North-Rhein Westphalia since 2006. Peter Hoerr started his conducting career leading the Petit Symphony, a Swiss orchestra for Romantic music between 1995-1999. After becoming artistic director of the Hofkapelle Weimar in 2008, he assumed the position of music director the following year. In October 2010 during a debut tour of Japan, he conducted the Kobe City Chamber Orchestra. As an interpreter and conductor who is engaged, interesting and historically informed, Peter Hoerr constantly brings a new approach to the classical orchestra repertoire. He is known as a specialist in Romantic music reception on period instruments. Curious and unbiased, he equally promotes important music of the 20th century, and will conduct Richard Strauss and orchestra works of Philip Jarnach in 2011. With the Hofkapelle Weimar he made his first, very successful SACD as soloist and conductor with MDG, which won an Echo Prize in 2010. The orchestra now records exclusively with MDG, and further recordings in the next three years of symphonies of Haydn and Cartellieri and the symphonic works of Melanie Bonis are being planned.