Nerina Mancini studied in Berkeley, California with Bonnie Hampton, in Detmold and  Basel with Thomas Demenga, and was a student apprentice in the Basel Symphony Orchestra and a scholarship holder at the Bavarian Radio Academy. As a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, she has performed at the Davos, Schleswig-Holstein and Tanglewood Festivals, and has also played in the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.

I play a French cello that I bought in Basel. I loved its tones in the lower register right away. A few months later I drove to a concert in Germany with my string quartet. The car was so full that I decided to put my instrument in the boot. It was a big car, and it seemed okay this one time. We had a rear-end collision and the right side of my cello was destroyed. When I unzipped the case, wood fell out – I was completely distraught. It took eight months for a specialist to restore my instrument, but the scars are hardly visible now!

Before a concert, I like to go on stage to check the notes (I have experienced a part being missing) and to play a few notes. We have to leave the stage at 7.30 pm. I usually eat a piece of fruit or some other snack before I change and warm up some more. Then we all gather to go on stage.

Actually, one of my favourite places in Berlin is Gendarmenmarkt. The architecture and the space are impressive. I am proud to say that I work at such a spectacular place. It has always been my wish to play in a good orchestra and a beautiful concert hall. Dreams do come true!