Roberta Verna - violin

Violinist Roberta Verna (*1998) comes from a family of musicians and began violin lessons at the age of five. At just nine years old, she was accepted as a junior student into the Pre-College program of the University of Music Würzburg, where she studied with Max Speermann. She later continued her studies with Prof. Daniel Gaede at the University of Music Nuremberg. Roberta completed her bachelor’s degree under Prof. Herwig Zack at the University of Music Würzburg.

The violinist has received numerous prizes at national and international competitions. In 2017, she was awarded the Cultural Advancement Prize of the City of Würzburg together with her brother, cellist Richard Verna, as the youngest recipients of that year.

Roberta Verna made her solo debut with orchestra at the age of 14, performing with the Thuringia Philharmonic under Russel Harris. Further performances followed with the Würzburg Philharmonic, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, the Klassik Philharmonie Hamburg, the Queensland Youth Orchestra, and others. She has also given numerous solo recitals at festivals such as Kissinger Winterzauber, the Arbanassi Summer Music Festival in Bulgaria, Masterclasses Vienna, the Kronberg Academy, the Eggenfelden Klassisch Festival, the Schackenborg Music Festival, the Engadin Festival in Switzerland, and the Mozart Festival Würzburg.

She has gained valuable musical insights in masterclasses with Ivry Gitlis, Gil Shaham, Saschko Gavrilow, Pierre Amoyal, Rolande Daugareil, Irvine Arditti, Gerhard Schulz, Boris Brovtsyn, and many others. Roberta Verna is increasingly in demand as a chamber and orchestral musician. She gained essential orchestral experience early on, including as concertmaster of the Bavarian State Youth Orchestra, in the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the European Philharmonic of Switzerland, and at the Lied Festival St. Moritz. This enabled her to work at a young age with renowned conductors and artists such as Mariss Jansons, Daniel Harding, Daniele Gatti, Teodor Currentzis, Jonathan Nott, Martha Argerich, Charles Dutoit, Maria João Pires, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, Alexandra Conunova, Tobias Feldmann, John Axelrod, Vladimir Jurowsky, Lorenzo Viotti, Christian Thielemann, Christoph Eschenbach, and many more.

In 2020, Roberta was part of the Orchestra Academy of the Bavarian State Orchestra in Munich.

From September 2021 to November 2022, Roberta Verna held the position of First Concertmaster of the Copenhagen Philharmonic in Denmark, where she gained significant experience and artistic impulses in the professional life of a concertmaster. This was followed by numerous projects and substitute engagements with various orchestras, including as concertmaster with the Luxembourg Philharmonic and guest concertmaster of the Camerata Hamburg. Since April 2024, she has been regularly engaged as guest concertmaster with La Toscanini in Parma (Italy) and at the Teatro Maggio Fiorentino in Florence (Italy). Her recent projects also include appearances as assistant principal of the second violins in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Harding and Christian Thielemann.

In addition to her studies and freelance work as an orchestral musician, Roberta continues to perform regularly as a soloist and chamber musician.

In November 2024, Roberta Verna won the position of First Concertmaster of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she will begin her tenure in September 2025.

She is also a regular member of the newly founded orchestra UTOPIA under the direction of Teodor Currentzis.

Roberta Verna plays a violin crafted in 2023 by Bulgarian luthier Vlado Tilev.