Karin Bonelli

Karin Bonelli thrives on being surrounded by an ocean of sound and the creative individuals who make it homogeneous.

With this being the case, it is most fortunate that since 2012, she has been a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which creates its own singular harmonious ocean of tonality. She was the first woman to obtain a position in the wind section of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and with that, also in the Vienna Philharmonic.

However, it was not fortunate circumstance alone that placed this young artist in this outstanding musical entity, but rather a long, arduous journey, beginning with her first flute lessons under the tuteledge of her mother - her father also being a flutist and professor. She consequently studied in Linz, Vienna, Lyon, and Munich with teachers such as Gisela Mashayekhi-Beer, Günter Voglmayr, Philippe Boucly, Wolfgang Schulz, Julien Beaudiment, Philippe Bernold and Karl-Heinz Schütz. The interaction with these instructors provided Karin Bonelli with a precocious comprehension of various regions, concepts of sound and styles of playing, which allowed her to develop her own individual musicianship without ever stifling her endeavours to further her professional ability.

In addition to various competition awards at an early age, she was still young when she was introduced to the orchestral world, playing with the Vienna Symphony, the National Orchestra de France and the Opera National de Lyon. More currently, along with her position in the Vienna Philharmonic with whom she experiences all of the world-renown conductors and soloists, she is a founding member of the „Vienna Wind Quintet“ as well as the „Klangkollektiv Wien“. With such musically energetic partners like the violinist Benni Schmid and the pianist Markus Schirmer, Karin is extremely devoted to chamber musical performance, as well as giving her own solo flute concerts. She was an instructor at the Music University in Graz (2017/18) and, more recently, is teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She strives to develop individuality in the young flute players, encouraging them to discover their own musical talent.