Sophie Heinrich – violin (Austria)

Austrian violinist Sophie Heinrich is considered one of the most distinguished concertmasters of her generation in Europe. From 2019 to 2023, she served as Concertmaster of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, becoming the first woman in the orchestra’s history to hold this position. Prior to that, she was First Concertmaster of the Komische Oper Berlin.

As a guest concertmaster, she has collaborated with leading European ensembles, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Bavarian State Opera, Staatskapelle Dresden, and Staatskapelle Berlin.

Sophie Heinrich performs actively as a soloist and chamber musician, appearing at international festivals and artistic projects across Europe and beyond. Her performances have been featured by 3sat, arte, ORF, Deutschlandfunk, MDR, and other European media platforms.

Teaching, mentoring, and speaking on leadership in music form an important part of her artistic work. She teaches at Stella Vorarlberg Privathochschule für Musik, serves as an international mentor for the Finnish project “Lead! – Developing the Next Generation of Leaders in Classical Music” under the direction of Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and has led the string section of the Grafenegg Academy in Austria.

Highlights of her 2025/26 season include invitations to the Bregenz Festival, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra of the Lviv National Philharmonic.