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Meet the
m sicians

The Luxembourg Philharmonic is a tight-knit community of 99 musicians from some 20 nations around the world.

First things first: how does an orchestra work?

An orchestra is like a big tree with many branches, all drawing their energy from the same roots but each bringing its own particular colour and character to the whole.
Orchestra map

Strings

The strings section is typically the largest section in a symphony orchestra and includes violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. Together, these instruments form the core of the orchestra's sound.

 

Concertmaster

Haoxing Liang

Haoxing Liang

Haoxing Liang was born in China. He began playing the violin at the age of six. After his studies at the Chinese State Conservatory of Music in Beijing, he completed his studies in 2001 at the Vienna Music University and became Magister artium. He is a prizewinner of the Vaclav Huml International Violin Competition in Zagreb. As a soloist, he has performed extensively in Austria, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, and China, giving recitals as well as working with leading Russian orchestras. He has participated in the Andrei Sakharov Festival and the East Belgium Festival. Musicians such as Dora Schwarzberg, Ivry Gitlis, Roby Lakatos, Polina Leschenko, Walter Delahunt, Yuri Smirnov, Jorge Basso, and Alban Gerhardt are his chamber music partners. In October 2013, he was part of Semana Musical Llao Llao in Argentina. From 1996 to 1999, Haoxing Liang was leader (concertmaster) of the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra (Berliner Symphoniker). In this period, he also worked with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Kent Nagano, and many others with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. As a guest leader, he works with orchestras such as that of the Komische Oper Berlin, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie (SR), and the Bochumer Symphoniker. Since 1999, Haoxing Liang has been first leader of the Luxembourg Philharmonic. Along with Misha Maisky, he was a soloist on the Luxembourg Philharmonic’s Asia tour in 2003. He teaches violin and chamber music at the Conservatory of Music in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. Haoxing Liang has recorded the complete chamber music of Gabriel Pierné (on Timpani), as well as works by Vincent D’Indy (Timpani). With the Kreisler String Quartet, which he founded with Silja Geirhardsdottir, Jean-Marc Apap, and Niall Brown, he has also recorded works by Théodore Gouvy.

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Seohee Min

Seohee Min

Violinist Seohee Min delights in playing a broad repertoire ranging from early music to contemporary works. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in Pierre Boulez's Mémoriale conducted by Daniel Barenboim. She has taken part in such festivals as the George Enescu Festival, the IMS Prussia Cove, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Aspen Festival and the Music Academy of the West. As a soloist, she has performed with the Sinfonieorchester Basel and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with artists such as Frank Braley, David Kadouch and Gabriel Le Magadure of the Quatuor Ébène, and has performed at venues such as the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Brucknerhaus Linz and the Konserthuset Stockholm, among others. She has been invited as concertmaster by numerous orchestras in Europe, for example the Gothenburg and Odense Symphony Orchestras. She obtained her soloist diploma from the Musik-Akademie Basel, her master’s degree from the Juilliard School, and her bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance and Business from the University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music. She has worked with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Alan Gilbert, Sakari Oramo and Franz Welser-Möst. She was associate concertmaster at the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and was appointed concertmaster of the Luxembourg Philharmonic in February 2024.

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First violins

Second violins

The viola is not the same as a violin!

In this video, Academician Julia Vicic introduces you to her instrument and tells you all about life as an orchestra musician in-the-making.

Violas

Did you know?

Some say the cello is the instrument that most closely ressembles the human voice.

Cellos

Double basses

Woodwinds

Don't let yourself be fooled by "wood" in "woodwinds". Our family also includes members that are made out of metal, ceramic or even ivory! And some wooden instruments don't belong to us... are you still following?

Flutes

Did you know?

To join the woodwind club, you need to be blowing air into your instrument through a sharp edge.

Oboes

Clarinets

A journey back in time

As one of the earliest-known instruments, the flute goes back to the dawn of mankind. Let yourself be carried away by its warm and playful voice in this recording of Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by the Luxembourg Philharmonic.

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Bassoons

Brass

From classical to jazz and marching bands, brass instruments have incredibly versatile applications! Unlike the woodwinds, players need to press their lips directly on the instrument in order to produce sound.

Horns

Trumpet

How well do you know the trumpet?

In this episode of our podcast "In Tune", meet Simon van Hoecke, trumpet solo with the Luxembourg Philharmonic and passionate ambassador of the wind band tradition.

Listen
Logo for the show Intune on top of a image of a concert stage
In tune

Trombone

Bass trombone

Did you know?

The contrabass tuba is the lowest-pitched of all brass instruments. It sounds even deeper than a double bass!

Tuba

Percussions

Snare drums, cymbals, timpani, bells, tam-tam, glockenspiel, xylophone… The percussion family is as big as it is diverse in shapes and textures. The good news is, it isn’t done growing! Contemporary composers keep finding new objects and instruments to create music with.

Did you know?

They aren't just about rhythm! Many percussion instrument can also create wonderful harmonies.

Timpani

Percussion

Mahler's hammer

"Brief and mighty, but dull in resonance . . . like the fall of an axe." Composer Gustav Mahler was quite creative when it came to percussion instruments. In this impressive video, watch Luxembourg Philharmonic percussionist Benjamin Schäfer handle a gigantic wooden mallet.

Harp

With its graceful shape and sizeable volume, the harp doesn't go unnoticed in an orchestra... Whether it is plucked or strummed, this instrument is typically used to express feelings of calm and serenity.

Did you know?

The harps you see performing in symphony orchestras can have up to 47 strings!

Harp

Red carpet!

Watch Luxembourg Philharmonic harpist Catherine Beynon inaugurate the iconic walkway of the Salle de Musique de Chambre with two colleagues from the Flute section.

Come and see them live!