Katharina Deserno, born in Frankfurt am Main, is a cellist known for her wide repertoire, unique concert programs, and expressive and sensitive playing. Her international concert career includes performances as a soloist with the Spanish National Orchestra, as a chamber musician in various ensembles, and particularly as a duo with pianist Nenad Lečić.
Her performances have been documented in CD recordings, numerous premieres, tours and festival invitations, as well as radio broadcasts on WDR, HR, Deutschlandfunk, Radio Clasica, ORF, and more. Her CDs, released by KALEIDOS and WERGO, feature works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Grechaninov, Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Rebecca Clarke, Violeta Dinescu, Barbara Heller, and others.
Her recordings have received praise from the press, with reviews describing her playing as “flawless,” “technically perfect,” and her programs as “wonderful” (Rondo-Magazin). Recently, Katharina Deserno recorded a CD of works for solo cello by Violeta Dinescu and Johann Sebastian Bach (“Suites & Roses,” KAL6344-2). Press reactions have described it as an “impressive CD” (Badisches Tagblatt), a “delightful experience,” “an extraordinary, moving album” (Musenblätter), and a “compelling interpretation” (pizzicato), with her interpretation of the Bach suites being “masterful” (Das Orchester).
Since 2015, Katharina Deserno has been a professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt. In the summer semester of 2022, she also taught at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz, and previously she worked for many years at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. In 2023, she received a call to the Musikhochschule in Würzburg.
Her book on cellists and the transformation processes in instrumental art was published in 2018 by Böhlau Verlag. She has published a cello book with Schott Verlag, which was a top-selling sheet music item for a long time. She has edited numerous music editions, as well as another cello book, which was recently translated into Chinese.
Katharina Deserno plays an Italian cello by Carlo Antonio Testore from the year 1712, which is generously provided to her by a patron.