Felix Nickel
Felix Nickel was born in Hamburg in 1976. He received his cellist training from Bernhard Gmelin (Musikhochschule Hamburg), Hans-Christian Schweiker (Musikhochschule Aachen) and Paul Katz (New England Conservatory, Boston), among others.
Master classes have led him to encounters with artists such as Janos Starker, Itzhak Perlman, György Kurtag, Donald Weilerstein and members of the Alban Berg and Cleveland Quartets.
From 2000 to 2008 Felix Nickel was cellist of the Kuss Quartet, with which he was awarded the prize of the German Music Competition in 2002 and the first prize of the international Borciani Competition. The quartet performs intensively, not only in Europe but also in the USA, Japan and Australia. It is a regular guest in important halls such as the Philharmonie Cologne, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London as well as at the major festivals, e.g. in Salzburg, Edinburgh and Schwarzenberg (Schubertiade). In addition to numerous radio productions, the quartet has made CD recordings for Ars Musici, Oehms Classics and Sony Classical.
Together with pianist Maria Ollikainen, Felix Nickel was artistic director of the "Kammermusiktage Plön" from 2005 to 2014.
Since January 2009, Felix Nickel has been principal cellist in the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin. Temporary work in this function has taken him to orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Munich Philharmonic and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Konzerthaus Quartet.
As a soloist, he has played under conductors such as James Gaffigan, Kristiina Poska and Hermann Bäumer.
As of November 2025
Master classes have led him to encounters with artists such as Janos Starker, Itzhak Perlman, György Kurtag, Donald Weilerstein and members of the Alban Berg and Cleveland Quartets.
From 2000 to 2008 Felix Nickel was cellist of the Kuss Quartet, with which he was awarded the prize of the German Music Competition in 2002 and the first prize of the international Borciani Competition. The quartet performs intensively, not only in Europe but also in the USA, Japan and Australia. It is a regular guest in important halls such as the Philharmonie Cologne, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London as well as at the major festivals, e.g. in Salzburg, Edinburgh and Schwarzenberg (Schubertiade). In addition to numerous radio productions, the quartet has made CD recordings for Ars Musici, Oehms Classics and Sony Classical.
Together with pianist Maria Ollikainen, Felix Nickel was artistic director of the "Kammermusiktage Plön" from 2005 to 2014.
Since January 2009, Felix Nickel has been principal cellist in the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin. Temporary work in this function has taken him to orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Munich Philharmonic and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Konzerthaus Quartet.
As a soloist, he has played under conductors such as James Gaffigan, Kristiina Poska and Hermann Bäumer.
As of November 2025