Barbara Kortmann

has been able to establish herself among the leading flutists of her generation in recent years.

Personally awarded the 'Rising Star Award' in 2016 by Sir James Galway, the living flute legend has this to say about her and her playing: "Hearing Barbara play was a rare pleasure for me. Immediately I was struck by her magnificent natural talent. There are not many people who possess such a natural talent and know how to cultivate it in such a way through years of intensive work. In addition to her wonderful stage presence, her flawless technique and expressive sound were always obvious components of her flute playing. I believe in her."

In January 2017, Barbara Kortmann's debut album 'Inner Lights' was released by the GENUIN record label. Following excellent reviews from the national and international press, the album received the highest honor at the Global Music Awards in the USA in September 2017, winning three gold medals in the categories 'classical flautist', 'instrumentalist' and 'album'.

Barbara Kortmann is a multiple prize winner of various national as well as international competitions.

In October 2015, she won the 1st prize in the 'International Music Competition in Paris - Grand Prize Virtuoso'. In 2012 she was awarded 1st prize in the 'American Protégé International Music Competition' in the USA and additionally received the special Judges Distinction Award for her outstanding performance, the prize for 'Best Performance' and the invitation to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall, New York in March 2013.

She is also a laureate of the "International Music Competition Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest", the "International Aeolus Wind Competition for Flute, Oboe and Trombone" and the competition of the Märkische Kulturkonferenz, which she won as the first flutist ever and thus became a laureate of the highly endowed "Märkische Stipendium für Musik 2010".

Due to her success in competitions, she was honored by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as an outstanding young musician and was awarded a special prize by the Department of Culture.

She was also a scholarship holder of the 'Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben', the 'Oscar und Vera Ritter Stiftung' and the foundation 'Live Music Now', established by Yehudi Menuhin.
In addition, she was twice awarded the promotional prizes of the 'Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg', the promotional prize for young musicians of the NDR Symphony Orchestra and scholarships of the Dr. Meyer Struckmann Foundation, the Marc Rich Foundation, the Karl Heinz & Elisabeth Behnke Foundation and in 2015 of the 'Sir James Galway Flute Festival'.

Her concert debut at the age of 14 in Hamburg's Laiszhalle was followed by a busy concert career as a soloist and chamber musician: in addition to many German cities, she has performed in Scandinavia, Romania, Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the USA, where she has appeared at the Yamaha Center NYC, Merkin Hall (Kaufman Music Center) and Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), among others.

She made her concert debut as a soloist in March 2009 with the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Jac van Stehen.

Born in Munich in 1985 and raised in Hamburg, Barbara Kortmann received her training with Andrea Lieberknecht and Felix Renggli at the conservatories in Hanover and Basel and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Martin-Michael Kofler.

In 2016, Barbara Kortmann herself took over the direction of her own flute class at the University of Music, Drama and Media in Hanover as part of the pilot project 'Artistic Qualification Positions to a Professorship'.