Musician of the month: Dario Rosenberger

Which instrument do you play at the Kölner Akademie and when did you start playing?
At the Kölner Akademie, I play the horn — mostly natural or baroque, but sometimes early valve horn as well. I started learning when I was four years old, with a few breaks when I grew adult teeth and I entered the Akademie in January 2021.

What led you to the Kölner Akademie?
This and that… our paths crossed pretty naturally when I started studying natural Horn at the conservatory in Cologne. 

In which other orchestras and ensembles do you play?
I play both modern and natural horn in various ensembles and orchestras in Cologne and North Rhine-Westphalia, such as the Gürzenich Orchestra, Harmonie Universelle, and the Kölner Kammerorchester, among others. Since December, I have been fortunate to temporarily hold the 3rd horn position with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker.

What do you think distinguishes your work with the Kölner Akademie?
Working on — and recording — mostly unknown and unplayed repertoire is particularly interesting because we get to explore the music from scratch, without knowing how the final result will turn out since we can’t be biased by preceding recordings. Additionally, the standard of the musicians is incredibly high, making it a lot of fun to make music at this level!

What do you like to do when you are not playing music?
I enjoy cooking and trying out new vegan recipes, playing squash or soccer, spending time in nature and wildlife, and improving my photography skills in these areas.