Uladzimir Sinkevich

“The cello is incredibly multi-faceted, which is why its role in the orchestra is so versatile: it forms the rhythmic basis – especially in the music of the Baroque and Classical periods; since the Romantic period it has also delighted with beautiful vocal melodies; and in modern music it is also often used for expressive outbursts.”

As a six-year-old, Uladzimir Sinkevich actually wanted to learn the piano. But since it was almost impossible to get a place for piano at the music college in his home town of Minsk, he was offered a place to study cello.  Without knowing much about the cello, Uladzimir Sinkevich spontaneously accepted the offer and was soon accepted into Vladimir Perlin’s cello class. “It was only later that I fell in love with the instrument, especially its sound, which is very close to the human voice,” the musician says. He studied at the Berlin University of the Arts under Martin Löhr and Wolfgang Boettcher (2007-2013), where he graduated with a concert diploma. He also received further artistic inspiration from international master classes with Bernard Greenhouse, Yo-Yo Ma, Natalia Gutman, Frans Helmerson and David Geringas, among others.

From 2009 to 2011, Uladzimir Sinkevich was a scholarship holder at the Karajan Academy – an important period for the cellist, as the experiences he had at this institution determined the course of his life: “It gave me the opportunity to learn how to work in an orchestra from the best musicians. When I experienced the particularly warm and homogeneous sound of the Berliner Philharmoniker for the first time, I was thrilled – and decided to become an orchestra musician.”

A multiple prize-winner of international competitions, his first job took him to the Münchner Rundfunkorchester as principal cellist in 2011, before he joined the Berliner Philharmoniker in February 2022. He has regularly helped out as principal cellist with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, the München Philharmoniker, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, among others.  Uladzimir Sinkevich has worked as a soloist with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, the Philharmonie Baden-Baden and the Belarusian State Symphony Orchestra. In 2021, BR-Klassik released his recording of the Cello Concerto No. 2 “Klātbūtne / Presence” by Pēteris Vasks with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester under Ivan Repušić. Uladzimir Sinkevich is also a keen chamber musician. He enjoys spending his free time in nature and fishing, and is also passionate about classic cars.