Musical Aperitif
Katharina Görz
Katharina Görz was born in 2008 in Bamberg and is currently attending the 11th grade at the E.T.A. Hoffmann-Gymnasium, an arts-oriented high school in Bamberg.
Since 2017, she has been taking piano lessons with Karin Görz at the Städtische Musikschule Bamberg (Municipal School of Music), and in 2023 she continued her studies with Natalia Solotych at the E.T.A. Hoffmann-Gymnasium.
Since 2019, Katharina has also been studying percussion at the same music school with Slawomir Mscisz. She passed the bronze examination in 2023 and the silver examination in 2025.
In 2022, she became a member of the school’s percussion ensemble, which performs regularly at music school concerts and other events. With this ensemble, she won second prize in the percussion ensemble category at the 2024 regional competition Jugend musiziert.
Since 2023, Katharina has been a regular participant in the Marimba Festiva Young Artist program, attending masterclasses given by renowned teachers and performing in concerts both in Germany and abroad. In 2025, she also took part in the International Katarzyna Mycka Marimba Academy (IKMMA) in Essen.
Her greatest success as a percussionist came in 2025, when she won second prize in the marimba solo category at the national Jugend musiziert competition. This achievement led to her selection for a performance at the concert Stars von morgen (“Stars of Tomorrow”), where she appeared as soloist with the Hofer Symphoniker, performing the third movement of N. Rosauro’s Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra No. 2.
Katharina has also achieved significant success as a pianist. In 2024, she won second prize in the piano duo category at the national Jugend musiziert competition in Lübeck. In the same year, she also received second prize in the piano duo category at the internal NEUPERT Competition and a special award from the Deutscher Musikrat (German Music Council) for the best interpretation of a work composed for Jugend musiziert.
In the category “piano and wind instrument,” she won first prize at the 2025 national Jugend musiziert competition. That same year, she was admitted to the advanced training class (Förderklasse) of the Municipal School of Music.
Michelsberg String Quartet
The Michelsberg Streichquartett is a string quartet based in Bamberg formed by Andreas Zack and Masako Sakai-Hersen (violins), Meike Beyer (viola), and Nico Nesyba (cello). The musicians have strong international backgrounds and an active concert career across Europe, Asia, and the United States, combined with extensive experience in chamber music. All are also dedicated teachers at music schools and conservatories, with particular focus on pedagogy and the Suzuki method. The quartet combines artistic excellence, orchestral experience, and a deep passion for the chamber repertoire.
