Thomas Demenga in an interview

"An international career depends on many factors."

An internationally renowned soloist, composer, and teacher, Thomas Demenga is one of the most outstanding cellists and musicians of our time. Since 1980, he has led a training and soloist class at the Basel Academy of Music. Since 2011, he has been the artistic director of the Camerata Zürich.

You studied with Antonio Janigro and Mstislav Rostropovich, among others. What was your experience of these great cellists, and what did you learn from them?
From Antonio Janigro, I learned a playing style characterized by nobility and great musicality, and the fact that music and cello technique are intertwined—that is, cello technique must be acquired through musical processes, not solely as such. From Rostropovich, I learned his tremendous energy and his will to express something. This was always coupled with visions or images, sometimes with very everyday comparisons. Being able to experience Rostropovich's phenomenal talent up close was a formative experience for me.

You also studied with Leonard Rose and lived in New York during that time. How did this period shape you?
Above all, New York itself, with its incredibly rich cultural offerings and the city as a whole, its vibrant life. Not so much the Juilliard School or Leonard Rose (who was there very little...). I also played more Frisbee than I practiced cello with Nigel Kennedy in the corridors of the Juilliard School... And we played duets together on the streets of Manhattan and made quite a good living doing it.

You engage particularly intensively with new music and often seek to juxtapose it with other eras. Such juxtapositions are common in concert programs. How did you come to implement this concept in CD recordings, for example, the Bach Suites?
At the time, I was one of the first to perform such solo programs – the step to CD recording was then a small one – but it also required the right label. In 1980, I was fortunate enough to be able to record an improvisation album with ECM: Cellorganics. Shortly afterward, I asked Manfred Eicher if he wouldn't consider venturing into the classical realm. Gidon Kremer and I were among the first classical musicians to record with ECM New Series – and we've remained so ever since.

You are also active as a composer. How does a new composition come about for you?
I carry ideas around with me for weeks before I even think about putting a blank sheet of music on my desk. When the time is right and I finally begin, things sometimes progress quite quickly – but composing remains very time-consuming and occupies me for months at a time.

Since 1980, you have led a training and soloist class at the Basel Academy of Music. What is important to you in your teaching?
To help students become independent musical personalities, in addition to being good cellists.

The Basel Academy of Music is considered one of the leading centers for cello playing in Europe. Sol Gabetta, for example, studied here and launched her career. Who do you see as having the potential for an international career next?
My student Sayaka Selina Studer, for example. However, an international career depends on many factors. It's not enough to be a superb instrumentalist. That's only the prerequisite for even having a chance. An iron will, perseverance, and intensive daily practice on the instrument are just a few of them. Ultimately, luck also plays a major role, and last but not least, the needs of the music market.

Do you collaborate with the Schola Cantorum, which is also affiliated with the music academy?
No, but I enjoy being inspired by it.

Your brother , Patrick Demenga, has also had a successful career as a cellist. You often play together and have also made joint CD recordings. Was it always so harmonious in your youth, or were there sometimes problems?
Every musical endeavor involves disagreements – I don't think it matters who it's with. The more intensively you work, the greater the chance of not immediately agreeing. This is a quality – it leads to a more interesting interpretation than if you were of one mind from the start. In the end, what counts is the result that is presented publicly – that's all that matters.

Did you both decide to pursue cello as a career at the same time?
No, I'm eight years older than my brother.

You currently hold the artistic directorship of the Camerata Zürich. What are your visions for this ensemble?
I want to bring the Camerata Zürich out of the shadow of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra – to do more concerts with the orchestra and to design witty, colorful programs that also attract young people.

Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.ch | June 4, 2012

Next concerts

September 20, 2026 - Swiss Chamber Music Festival – Closing Concert: Trio Entre Vias