Lydia Pantzier

“The Academy was an excellent experience and I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to be with the COE , listening to their concerts, sitting within this amazing orchestra, performing wind octets with them, listening to the rehearsals and watching Bernard Haitink work with them, getting to know many of these interesting and fabulous players and having lessons every day with Matthew [Wilkie, the COE’s principal bassoon]. I learnt so much—the Orchestra has such an amazing sound and it is incredible how the winds completely blend their tones together and create a new sound, and yet if they have a solo phrase, it is so clear and musical! And of course, the lessons with Matthew were fantastic, I really got a lot from them.”

Lydia, a 21-year old Berlin-based bassoonist, has been studying at the Universität der Künste Berlin since October 2009 with Prof. Eckart Hübner. In 2010, she became a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra.