Isang Enders

Isang Enders, a German cellist recognized for his broad command of repertoire, excels both as a solo performer and in collaborative chamber settings. Deeply committed to teaching, he has instructed students at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt while regularly conducting masterclasses. Born in Frankfurt am Main during 1988 to German Korean parents, he received his given name in tribute to the renowned Korean composer Isang Yun. His earliest musical engagement involved the piano, begun in childhood through lessons that likely came from his father, himself a pianist. At age nine his parents encouraged him to take up an orchestral instrument, and his piano instructor recommended the cello. Three years afterward he commenced studies with Michael Sanderling at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt. Additional training followed under Gustav Rivinius and Truls Mørk, while Lynn Harrell served as a significant friend and mentor. In 2007 Enders was awarded the Darmstädter Musikpreis; the next year he paused his formal education to assume the role of concertmaster of the cellos with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. Chamber-music partnerships during this period included work with Myung-Whun Chung, Christoph Eschenbach, and Kit Armstrong. Although his visibility as a performer expanded markedly through the concertmaster position, the administrative demands proved taxing, prompting his resignation after four years so he could concentrate on a solo career and clarify his artistic voice. During 2012 he returned to teaching duties at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt, pursued further study at the Hanns Eisler University of Music in Berlin, and issued the recording Mit Myrten & Rosen alongside pianist Andreas Hering. Throughout the ensuing decade he maintained an active schedule of solo and ensemble engagements, appearing on the releases Bach: Cello Suites and the live album Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Don Quixote, the latter recorded with the Frankfurter Opern und Museumsorchester under Sebastian Weigle. Festival performances have taken him to the Marlboro Music Festival, the Verbier Festival, and additional events. Beginning in 2020 he toured with the Sitkovetsky Trio, Adrien La Marca, Michael Barenboim, and the Merel Quartet, and he featured on the 2020 album Brahms: Viola Sonatas, Op. 120; Piano Trio, Op. 114 as well as the 2023 release Ode: Hans Werner Henze – Works for Cello and Orchestra.