Daniel Müller-Schott

Born in Munich on November 2, 1976, Daniel Müller-Schott first drew international attention at fifteen after winning top honors at the 1992 Tchaikovsky International Competition for Young Musicians in Moscow. From roughly 2000 onward, when his debut album appeared, he began to establish himself among the foremost cellists of his era. Exceptional technical command and a seasoned musical judgment enable him to tackle an unusually wide range of works, whether the refined demands of Bach, Haydn, and Mozart or the greater physical requirements of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, and Ligeti. He appears regularly with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide while also maintaining an active chamber-music schedule alongside distinguished colleagues.

A rapid developer from childhood, Müller-Schott began extensive international touring after his 1992 victory and eventually performed with major ensembles across the United States, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia. He studied with Heinrich Schiff and Steven Isserlis and held an Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation scholarship between 1997 and 2001; he regards Mutter herself as one of the most formative influences on his artistic path. His first recording, issued in 2000, presented Bach’s Six Cello Suites, pieces he had cherished since the age of six. Several composers have written for him, among them André Previn and Peter Ruzicka, each dedicating a cello concerto to the artist.

At the 2007 Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival he gave a widely praised account of Ligeti’s demanding Cello Concerto with the NDR Symphony Orchestra under Ruzicka’s direction. Over the years he has also participated in festivals at Tanglewood, Salzburg, Lucerne, Roskilde, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and elsewhere. During the 2009–2010 season his engagements included a tour with Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields through Austria, Germany, and Turkey, chamber-music recitals in Germany and Belgium, and solo appearances with orchestras in Czechoslovakia, Spain, and the United States. His regular chamber partners include pianists Angela Hewitt and Jonathan Gilad, violinist Julia Fischer, and the Vogler String Quartet.

On Deutsche Grammophon he recorded four albums with Mutter and Previn featuring the Mozart trios and additional works, released in 2006 and 2007. Further recordings have appeared on EMI, Hyperion, Orfeo, Glissando, PentaTone, Profil, and Tudor; in 2020 an Orfeo release presented the Brahms cello sonatas with Francesco Piemontesi. Müller-Schott also takes part in the “Rhapsody in School” educational initiative and conducts master classes during his tours.