Anna van der Merwe

Born and raised in South Africa, Anna van der Merwe completed her studies with distinction at the University of Cape Town and later at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. During her studies, the violinist received numerous awards and scholarships, including the Oppenheimer Memorial Award and the Fontana Foundation Scholarship. As an enthusiastic chamber musician, she has won prizes with the Hensel Quartet and the Oberton String Octet at several solo and chamber music competitions in South Africa and Europe.

Anna van der Merwe has also performed as a soloist with the South African National Youth Orchestra, the Johannesburg Philharmonic, and the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic. She attended masterclasses with Mi-kyung Lee, Shlomo Mintz, and Alfred Brendel, among others. She was an academy member of the Bamberg Symphony and is now a member of the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne.