Tabea Zimmermann started to play the viola at the age of three, and two years later began playing the piano. She studied with Ulrich Koch at the Musikhochschule Freiburg and subsequently with Sandor Vegh at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Following her studies, she received several awards at international competitions, amongst them first prizes at the 1982 Geneva International Competition and the 1984 Budapest International Competition. As a result of winning the 1983 Maurice Vieux Competition in Paris, she received a viola by the contemporary maker Etienne Vatelot on which she has performed ever since. From 1987 to 2000, she regularly gave concerts with the late David Shallon in Düsseldorf, Jerusalem and Luxemburg. Since October 2002, she has been professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. She previously held teaching posts at the Musikhochschule Saarbrücken (1987 to 1989) and Hochschule für Musik Frankfurt (1994 to 2002).

Tabea Zimmermann has received several national and international awards for her outstanding artistic contributions including Hessischer Kulturpreis, Frankfurter Musikpreis and International Prize Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Sienna.

For more information, please visit Tabea Zimmermann's website.