Johanna Kulke
violinist
pianist
composer
Biography
"With her delicate playing, mature technique, and expressive interpretation, she literally captivated the audience."
(translated from Zofinger Tagblatt)
The German-Swiss violinist and pianist Johanna Kulke has performed as a soloist with the Junge Philharmonie Zentralschweiz, the Youth Symphony Orchestra Bern, the Campus Orchestra Lucerne and other orchestras.
In January 2022, she completed her Master of Arts in Music Performance in Lucerne with Ina Dimitrova, achieving the highest grade.
Prior to that, as a laureate of various national and international competitions, she successfully completed her Bachelor of Arts at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, majoring in both violin and piano. As part of her bachelor's project in 2018, she organized two concerts in which she performed as a soloist with the violin and the piano, playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in D minor and Mozart's Piano Concerto in F major, KV 413.
In addition to the piano and violin, Johanna Kulke is also dedicated to composing. She studied composition with Dieter Ammann at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. She received composition commissions from the Stadtorchester Solothurn and the Camerata 49, among others.
As a concertmaster, she has played with the Festival Symphony Orchestra in Stellenbosch (South Africa), the Junge Philharmonie Zentralschweiz, the Youth Symphony Orchestra Bern, the Orchestra of Bühne Burgäschi, the string orchestra incanto Langenthal, and the string orchestra Dietikon.
As a guest, she plays with the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Sinfonietta, the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, the Kammerphilharmonie Landshut and the Camerata Switzerland.
She has toured with various orchestras, including the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the Lucerne Chamber Philharmony, throughout Europe, Russia, and China.
Johanna Kulke's musical education is complemented by numerous master classes, including ones with Augustin Hadelich, Eldbjørg Hemsing, Bernd Glemser, Vladislav Bronevetzky, Gyula Stuller, Prof. Joshua Epstein, Valery Sokolov, and Priya Mitchell.
As a co-founder and member of the Eleas Quartet, she regularly performs chamber music concerts. Their latest tour in the summer of 2023 took them to South Africa.
Johanna Kulke is a scholarship holder of the Hirschmann Foundation and the Swiss Interpreters Foundation.
concerts 2023
chamber music groups
ELEAS QUARTET
The Eleas Quartet brings together four outstanding young musicians from Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, and South Africa. Founded in 2021 at the Lucerne School of Music, the quartet has been primarily guided by Isabel Charisius, Igor Karsko, and Daniel Dodds.
The musicians have set themselves the goal of cultivating a diverse repertoire. In addition to the growing classical repertoire, the Eleas Quartet collaborates with Simon Heggendorn (Kaleidoscope String Quartet) to explore jazz and improvisation techniques. They also perform contemporary works, including a piece by Johanna Kulke, the quartet's violinist.
As part of the International Academy for Contemporary Music in Lucerne, they received instruction from Garth Knox and Melise Mellinger.
They received further valuable impulses at the Schaffhauser Master Classes in 2023, where they were taught by Oliver Wille and Wen-Sinn Yang, among others.
In the summer of 2023, they went on a tour to South Africa, performing at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival. They also gave concerts in Muizenberg, Hermanus, and Greyton.
Violin: Johanna Kulke, Rahel Castelberg
Viola: Catarina Marques
Cello: Colette Brand
LIEDDUO SKALUK
Soprano Fabienne M. Skarpetowski and pianist Johanna Kulke perform together as the Lied duo SKALUK. They have a passion for musical diversity and maintain a broad repertoire that spans from classical Lieder, opera/operetta, and musicals to the pop genre. This allows them to create charming bespoke programs and also perform at various events such as weddings, family celebrations, and more.
In the past, their Lied programs have included works by composers such as Robert and Clara Schumann, Hugo Wolf, George and Ira Gershwin, and Charlie Chaplin.
If you would like to book SKALUK for your own event, whether it's a wedding, house concert, family gathering, funeral, or any other occasion, we are ready to provide advice and support in selecting the repertoire to tailor the performance according to your preferences. You can get in touch with us at:
Email: skaluk@gmx.ch Phone: +41 (0)79 725 99 11
Soprano: Fabienne M. Skarpetowski
Piano: Johanna Kulke
