Brett Deubner

Born in San Francisco, violist Brett Deubner has established himself as one of the foremost violists of his generation. As a sought after soloist who has performed with orchestras on five continents, Deubner has redefined the role of “solo artist” and has given the viola a new standing in the world of classical music with his virtuosity, commitment to championing new music, and his mentoring tomorrow’s young artists.

Deubner studied at the Eastman School of Music in New York where his principal teachers were Zvi Zeitlin (violin), Martha Katz (viola), and John Graham (viola). At Eastman he quickly made a name for himself performing as violin and viola soloist with the Eastman Philharmonia and leading the orchestra in Heidelberg at the Schloss Spiele Festival. After graduating, Deubner successfully landed major orchestra positions, was a founding member of several highly acclaimed chamber ensembles, and was on the string faculty of leading music schools. He also participated in world renowned festivals.

Deubner’s solo debut with the Grammy award-winning New Jersey Symphony Orchestra premiering Lalo Schifrin’s Triple Concerto resulted in numerous subsequent engagements throughout the United States and abroad. Deubner has gone on to perform worldwide as one of this century’s most important viola soloists, having appeared with more than 80 orchestras in 11 countries to unanimous approval for “the warmth and sparkling” quality of his playing (Doblinger Press, Vienna). To date, Deubner has received over 50 viola concertos composed and dedicated to him and he has made 20 albums on various labels such as Naxos, Centaur, PARMA, Innova, and Albany to critical acclaim and glowing reviews.  His most recent album release with the Orquesta de Heredia has garnered a 2019 Latin Grammy nomination for “Best Classical CD Recording.”

One of the busiest viola soloists on today’s concert stages, Deubner made debuts during the 2019-2020 season with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Portland Columbia Symphony, the Guayaquil Symphony in Ecuador, the Reading Symphony, the North Mississippi Symphony, and the Coastal Symphony of Georgia, to name a few. Deubner will perform Richard Danielpour’s viola concerto numerous times this season as well as the concertos of Joan Tower, Telemann, Vivaldi, Harberg, Mozart, and the world premiere of Daniel Perttu’s “Merlin” concerto with the Perrysburg Symphony.

Recent engagements with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, the Missoula Symphony, the National Symphony of Ecuador, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Loja, the State Symphony of Medelin in Venezuela, the Thuringer Symphoniker of Germany, the Orchestre Bell’Arte of Paris, and the Kiev Kamerata of Ukraine have garnered international praise for his unparalleled technique and powerful vocal quality.

During the 2020-2021 season, Deubner will perform with the Bismarck Symphony, the Michigan Philharmonic, the Ridgewood Symphony, Arkansas Philharmonic, the Boston Civic Orchestra, Olympia Philharmonic, Punta Gorda Symphony, and the Orlando Contemporary Chamber Orchestra.

A devoted and passionate chamber music collaborator, Deubner has performed with Pinchas Zukerman, Joseph Kalichstein, Andre Michel-Schub, the Tokyo Quartet, Vermeer Quartet, Colorado Quartet, as well as clarinetists Guy Deplus and Alexander Fiterstein, and flutists Ransom Wilson and Carol Wincenc. Brett Deubner makes his home in the New York Metropolitan area where he is currently on the string faculty of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York. He is on the faculty of the Round Top Festival in Texas, the International Music Festival of Guaranda, Ecuador and is the director of his own String Festival in Siracusa, Sicily. Deubner is endorsed by D’Addario Strings and uses Kaplan Amo. In 2017 he received the U.S. Congressional Certificate of Recognition for his commitment to Music and Education. He plays on a viola made for him by Alejandro Bacelar.