Arne Zeller (born October 4th, 2006) started playing the cello at the age of six and at age 14 became member of the precollege class of Professor Peter Bruns at the “Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig while continuing high school. Since October 2024, he studies with Frans Helmerson at Kronberg Academy.
He received numerous awards and prizes, e.g. the first prize as the youngest participant of his age group at the International Anna Kull cello competition in Graz in 2020, the second prize at the 29th international Brahms Competition 2023 (Pörtschach), and the first prize of the 40th Pablo Casals Award 2024 in El Vendrell. In addition, Arne was awarded numerous first national prizes and special prizes in the federal German competition „Jugend musiziert”.
Arne debuted as a soloist with orchestra with Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations at 13 years, performances with the Baden-Baden Philharmonics, the Euro Symphony Orchestra, the University Orchestra Mainz and the Kremarata Baltica followed. 2024 he also soloed with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra several times during a project for schools.
Valuable chamber music experience he gained at international chamber music classes and festivals like the Verbier Festival Academy, “Chamber Music Connects the World” in Kronberg, “Geneva String Academy”, the Moritzburg Festival and the Con Spirito Festival Leipzig.
During his concert activities he had the privilege to join the stage with artists like Gidon Kremer, Lawrence Power, Valentin Erben, Jens-Peter Maintz, Peter Bruns, Jan Vogler and Torleif Thedéen.
From 2021 to 2024 Arne was member of the internationally acclaimed string ensemble “LGT Young Soloists”, gaining stage experience in ensemble and soloistic performance during concerts worldwide.
In 2022 and 2024 Arne was an active participant in the cello masterclasses at Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and Jens Peter Maintz. Additional artistic impulses came from masterclasses with Ivan Monighetti, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Pablo Ferrández, Gary Hoffman, Steven Isserlis and Sir Andras Schiff.
Arne Zeller holds scholarships of the „Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben”, the International Music Academy
Liechtenstein and the „Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes“.
Additional important decorations have been the Lichtenberger Musikpreis 2022, the Werner Stiefel Prize 2022, the Martin Stadtfeld Prize and the Jütting Scholarship 2023 as well as the Pergamenschikow Scholarship at the Kronberg Academy‘s 2024 cello master classes.
Arne plays a violoncello by Charles Adolphe Maucotel “ex-Tortelier” (Paris, 1850), a generous loan by a member of the Stretton Society.