Jacob Hermsen

Welcome!
Jacob Hermsen, violist, began his musical studies at age seven with violin lessons before changing his focus to viola.

Teaching Experience
Jacob Hermsen has learned from his teachers who are among the best in the world. Every day he combines their knowledge, skills, musicality, and technique together with his own experience to help his students grow as a person, and as a musician. Jacob Hermsen has assisted his professor Vladimir Bukac at the Musik Hochschule ‘Carl Maria von Weber’ Dresden, he was invited to give international musical workshops for children (age 5—18) in The Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the United States, and he is an active chamber music coach with the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute. His most recent engagements are with Lamar Stringfield Music Camp—Honors Division, CODA Strings Camp, The Raleigh Music Collective, and he has an active teaching studio in the Durham area serving 35+ students in all levels & ages!

Education:
He holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the Conservatory of Amsterdam, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the Musik Hochschule ‘Carl Maria von Weber’ Dresden. He studied with Nobuko Imai, Vladimir Bukac (Talich Quartet), Michael Gieler (Principal Violist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam). Further studies have included masterclasses with Ervin Schiffer (Haydn Quartet, Hon. Professor of The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Brussels), Thomas Riebl (Professor at the Mozarteum Salzburg) and Jean Sulem (Rosamunde Quartet).
After finishing his Suzuki Training Book 1 in 2018, Jacob completed the Music Mind Games Unit 1 training in 2019, and has most recently completed his Bornoff Level 1 Training with Debbie Lyle.

Orchestral Experience
As a principal violist, namely with the Mittelsächsische Philharmonie Freiberg (Germany), KlangNetz Ensemble Dresden (Germany), and the Kammerphilharmonie Dresden (Germany), Jacob Hermsen has enjoyed exploring and performing the repertoire for solo viola. Other orchestras where he performed regularly include the Robert Schumann Philharmonic, and the Chemnitz Opera House, Elbland Philharmonie, Dresden Sinfoniker, Neue Lausitzer Philharmonie (all Germany), Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra (Netherlands), and Theater Baden Orchester, Baden bei Wien (Austria).
He is regularly engaged with the NC Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Opera Carolina, Carolina Ballet, and Mallarmé Chamber Players. Reviews can be found here and here.

Chamber and Solo Experience
As a passionate chamber musician, he is a member of the Raleigh-based string quartet: Vida Strings www.vidastrings.com, providing concerts, workshops, and research combining Music & Medicine.
He performed at festivals such as the ‘Grachtenfestival’ in Amsterdam and the ‘Palais Sommer Festival’ in Dresden. Concert tours brought him to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic, France, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, and the USA.
Jacob Hermsen has made numerous musical appearances for Dutch and German radio & television, and he performed the solos in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, the Double Concerto for Viola and Clarinet by M. Bruch, the Viola Concerto in G Major by G.P. Telemann and played the Dutch Premiere of ‘Eulogy’ by M. A. Turnage.
His most recent solo performance included works for viola solo and percussion by Luciano Berio, Somei Satoh, and Tigran Mansurian, and was accompanied by Ballet Ensemble Timée.