Susanne Cordula Welsch (violin)
Born in 1972 in Singen (Hohentwiel), Germany, Susanne started playing the violin at the age of 6. During her nearly ten-year stay in Hamburg and Bremen (1992-2001), where she studied cultural science, music science and German language, she was active in jazz and pop music (“Acapulco”, “Flut” and “Cool Position & Strings”). In the mid-nineties she founded the tango duo “Por Dos Cabezas” together with pianist Judith Hafer, and the Argentine tango became her greatest passion.
This was motivation for her to move to Rotterdam and study the violin at the Argentine Tango Department of the Rotterdam Academy for World Music under Martijn van der Linden (Sexteto Canyenge / Astillero) and Micha Molthoff (Quinteto Zárate) from 2001 to 2006. With her tango quartet “Cuarteto Rotterdam”, which she founded in 1994 together with the bandoneón player Michael Dolak, she has been performing all over Europe and beyond – even in Argentina. In 2011 the quartet was the winner of the 48th Klingenthal International Accordion Competition in the category of instrumental groups with bandoneón.
Since the summer of 2007, Susanne has been living and working as a freelance musician and violin teacher in Berlin.
Besides “Cuarteto Rotterdam” she also performs in other ensembles, namely the orquesta típica “Sabor A Tango”, “Sexteto Obsesión Tango”, “Welsch-Dolak-Duo” and “Berlin Tango Trio”. Being a member of “La Casa del Tango Berlin”, an organization dedicated to promoting Argentine music and culture – from musicians for tango dancers, music lovers and all culture enthusiasts, she has been establishing regular tango events in Berlin, such as the tango dinner show “Obsesión Tango” and “Locura Tanguera”.
Susanne Cordula Welsch plays a violin built in 1996 by Haat-Hedlef Uilderks (Lübeck, Germany). It is a copy of the “Ex Kochansky” model created by Guanerius del Gesu. (www.geigenbauonline.de)