About

"This performance was a sensory feast—like savoring a five-star meal." (International Viola Society)

"With his sensitive, elegant and expressive playing, he did justice to the demanding work at every moment."
»Er wurde mit seinem ebenso feinfühlig-eleganten wie expressiven Spiel dem anspruchsvollen Werk in jedem Augenblick gerecht.« (Gießener Anzeiger)

"Here was a self-confident artist with a pronounced creative drive."
»Da agierte ein selbstbewusster Künstler mit ausgeprägtem Gestaltungswillen.« (Gießener Allgemeine)

SHORT BIO

American violist Brian Isaacs is based in Berlin as a member of the Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker (mentored by Sebastian Krunnies) and the class of Tabea Zimmermann (Konzertexamen, HfMDK Frankfurt). 

In October 2024, Brian won prizes in both the Max Rostal International Viola Competition (2nd Prize, Audience Prize, Commissioned Piece Prize, Special Prize of the Freunde Junger Musiker Berlin) as well as the Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition (3rd Prize, Martinů Foundation Prize). Brian has also received awards and prizes from institutions such as the Verbier Festival Academy, Yale University, Frank Huntington Beebe Fund, and international competitions including Grunewald and Rubinstein. 

Brian has gained experience as a viola soloist performing concertos with ensembles including Barocco sempre giovane, Geringas Chamber Orchestra, Münchener Kammerorchester, Philharmonisches Orchester Gießen, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Yale Symphony, and Yale Philharmonia. He has benefited from working in masterclasses with violists such as Misha Amory, Yuri Bashmet, Noemie Bialobroda, Ettore Causa, Nobuko Imai, Lawrence Power, Antoine Tamestit, Steven Tenenbom, Lars Anders Tomter, and Tabea Zimmermann. 

An avid chamber musician, Brian’s recent festival appearances include Four Seasons, Gstaad String Academy, La Jolla SummerFest, Methow Valley, NUME, CMS Palm Beach, Taos, Thy, Tonhain Kollektiv, Verbier Festival Academy, Viridian Strings, and Yellow Barn. In summers 2025 and 2026, Brian will attend the Marlboro Music Festival.

Throughout his time in the Karajan-Akademie, Brian has participated in numerous performances of the Berliner Philharmoniker, including tours within Europe and the USA. He has also performed as guest principal violist with Les Musiciens du Louvre and as a substitute with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and will appear as guest co-principal with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2025.

A native New Yorker and graduate of Yale University, Brian received his MM in Viola Performance, studying with Ettore Causa, and his BA in Sociology. He plays on a modern viola made by Douglas Cox in Vermont, USA.

LONG BIO

American violist Brian Isaacs lives in Berlin and is a member of both the Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker, mentored by Sebastian Krunnies, and the Konzertexamen program of HfMDK Frankfurt, where he studies with Tabea Zimmermann. A native New Yorker, Brian graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and attended Yale University, where he studied with Ettore Causa and received his MM in Viola Performance and his BA in Sociology. Brian plays on a viola made by Douglas Cox in Vermont, USA and a viola bow made by Horst Schicker in Baiersdorf, Germany.

Competitions and Awards

Over the past several years, Brian has gained valuable experience participating in numerous viola competitions. His successes include First Prize (ex aequo) at the 2024 Grunewald International Music Competition, Second Prize as well as all the special prizes (Audience Prize, Commissioned Piece Prize, Special Prize of the Freunde Junger Musiker Berlin) at the 2024 Max Rostal International Viola Competition, Third Prize and the Martinů Foundation Prize at the 2024 Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition, and Third Prize at the 2019 Anton Rubinstein International Viola Competition. Brian has advanced to the semi-finals of competitions such as ARD (2023), Kodaly (2022), Prague Spring (2023), Primrose (2021), and Tertis (2025). He has received awards such as the Verbier Festival Academy's 2023 Edwin Caplin Foundation Award for Viola and a 2023-24 grant from the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund. At Yale, Brian received the Wrexham Prize in Music, the Joseph Lentilhon Selden Memorial Award, and the Terry E. and Irene A. Sharp Prize. He also won both the School of Music's Woolsey Hall and the College's William Waite Concerto Competitions. As viola soloist, Brian has performed with the Barocco sempre giovane, Geringas Chamber Orchestra, Münchener Kammerorchester, Philharmonisches Orchester Gießen, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Yale Symphony Orchestra, and Yale Philharmonia. 

Chamber Music

Brian has been fortunate to perform chamber music around the world with remarkable musicians. He has participated in numerous chamber music festivals in recent summers, including the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival (US), Geneva International String Academy (CH) (2023/2022), Gstaad Menuhin Festival String Academy (CH), La Jolla SummerFest Fellowship (US), Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival (US), Moritzburg Festival Academy (DE), NUME Festival Academy (IT), Palm Beach Chamber Music Society (US), Taos School of Music (US), Thy Chamber Music Festival (DK), Viridian Strings (US) (2024/2023/2022), Verbier Festival Academy (CH) (2023/2022), and Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival (US). Brian has also appeared in the Tonhain-Kollektiv series in Berlin, as well as several concerts in South Korea. In summers 2025 and 2026, Brian will attend the Marlboro Music Festival.

Mentors & Collaborations

Brian has collaborated and performed with many established artists including Natasha Brofsky, Peter Bruns, Ettore Causa, Jose Gallardo, Annette von Hehn, Ida Kavafian, Hye-Jin Kim, Walter Küssner, Mihae Lee, Mi-kyung Lee, Yura Lee, Jack Liebeck, Anthony Marwood, Ivan Monighetti, Tony Nys, Marcy Rosen, Dénes Várjon, Jonathan Vinocour, Paul Watkins, Tabea Zimmermann, and Kyril Zlotnikov. Conductors that Brian has worked with as soloist include Pavel Baleff, William Boughton, David Geringas, Andreas Schüller, and Peter Oundjian. Brian has performed as a soloist in masterclasses for artists including Misha Amory, Yuri Bashmet, Noemie Bialobroda, Alfred Brendel, Ettore Causa, Nobuko Imai, Lawrence Power, Steven Tenenbom, Lars Anders Tomter, Lech Antonio Uszynski, and Tabea Zimmermann. His pre-college teachers include Barbera Berg, Molly Carr, Caeli Smith, and Jonathan Weber.

Orchestra

An avid orchestral musician, Brian participates in numerous performances of the Berliner Philharmoniker between 2023-25 seasons as a scholarship-holder of the Karajan Academy. He has gone with the orchestra on tours to Hamburg, Prague, and Vienna, as well as a major tour to the USA in November 2024. He has also participated as a viola substitute with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Before moving to Europe, Brian served as a violist in the New Haven Symphony Orchestra from 2019-23, joining at the time as its youngest member. He has additionally served as principal violist with the Yale Philharmonia and with several renowned youth orchestras including NYO-USA, in which he participated in concert tours across Asia and Europe, the Moritzburg Festival Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony, and the Yale Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Brian attended the 2018 and 2019 New York String Orchestra Seminars and the 2020 Detroit Symphony Orchestra Summer Institute. Upcoming engagements in 2025 include guest appearances as principal violist with Les Musiciens du Louvre and as co-principal with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

(updated 24 February 2025)