Amalia Aubert studied in Karlsruhe, Berlin, Boston and Salzburg with Madeline Prager, Kim Kashkashian and Thomas Riebl. She was a member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. A prize-winner of various international competitions, she was principal violist with the Camerata Salzburg and the Sinfonieorchester Basel. She has performed at chamber music festivals in Davos, Verbier and Kronberg, among others. She teaches at the Berlin University of the Arts.

The viola is the instrument par excellence for people addicted to harmony. We rarely play the main melody, but we fill the harmonic movement – to be in the midst of all that, building a harmony with a light or dark hue, is simply fantastic! Besides, violists are generally fun, sociable and pleasant colleagues. It’s the feel-good section of the orchestra.

I play a viola that was made by Wilhelm Brückner (Erfurt, 1981). There’s a story behind how I obtained it. In 2005, my viola at the time (an instrument by Stefan-Peter Greiner) was stolen. This happened the evening before the final round of the Max Rostal Competition. I was so upset that the competition became a minor matter. That’s probably why I won. The story got around and Felix Schwartz, principal violist at the Berliner Staatsoper, offered me his viola on loan. With it, I aced my audition at the Konzerthaus shortly afterwards. For some years now, the Brückner viola has been mine, and we are a well-oiled team. By the way, there is still no trace of my Greiner viola.

Michelle Obama