Isabel Charisius is one of the finest violists and chamber musicians of her generation. As a member of the legendary Alban Berg Quartet, in addition to solo performances and engagements as violist with various leading orchestras, Isabel Charisius has appeared regularly at the most prestigious venues in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Isabel Charisius is regularly invited to perform on both the viola and the violin, with distinguished ensembles and great soloists at international festivals and venues.
Alongside her intense concert activity, Isabel Charisius has for many years been dedicated to training new generations of musicians. She is an internationally recognised teacher of viola and chamber music. Her prolific teaching activity includes a professorship at the Musikhochschule Köln (2005-2012), the Musikhochschule Lucerne (since 2006) as well as a wide range of masterclasses at some of the most prestigious academies and institutions (including Britten Pears School/ Aldeburgh, Encuentro de Musica y Academia/Santander, the Dutch String Quartet Academy/ Amsterdam, Guildhall School of Music and Drama/London, the University of Arts/Berlin).
Isabel Charisius students can regularly be found among the winners of international competitions. Many of them are also members of the world’s finest ensembles and orchestras. The ensembles trained by Isabel Charisiusinclude among others the string quartets Heath, Signum, Schuman, Navarra, Amaryllis and Belenus as well as the piano trios Atos and Morgenstern.
Isabel Charisius plays the extraordinary “ABQ”-viola by Laurentius Storioni (1780), a viola by Peter Greiner (1999) and a special violin by Joannes Udalricus Eberle (1753).