Peter Otto
German-born violinist Peter Otto enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and teacher. He is the newly appointed concertmaster of the Nashville Symphony, beginning in January 2024.
Previous to his engagement in Nashville he served as First Associate Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra, where he was appointed by Franz Welser-Möst in 2007. He has regularly appeared as concerto soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, including performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s “Haffner” Serenade, and most recently William Walton’s Violin Concerto under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst. Mr. Otto has also performed as a soloist with The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, Camarata Rostockiensis, National Youth Orchestra of Germany, and the Cleveland Philharmonic. He has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Nashville Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Otto served as Acting Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra from 2018 until 2022, including numerous national and international tours. Previous to his engagement in Cleveland, he served as Assistant Concertmaster of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Recital and chamber music performances have included engagements with the Heidelberger Frühling Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Kultur unter alten Dächern in northeast Germany, MOCA Miami as part of Art Basel Miami, the Pulitzer Festival in Saint Louis, and the Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio. Chamber music partners have included Orli Shaham, Yehonatan Berick, Jennifer Montone, Andre Emilianoff, Judith Gordon, Peter Henderson, and Grammy-winning pianist Angelin Chang.
Peter Otto is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock, Germany. His honors include top prizes in the Max Rostal Competition in Berlin and the Kingsville Young Performers Competition in Texas. Teachers have included Christiane Hutcap, Vera Kramarova, and Lewis Kaplan. Other significant musical influences were Roman Nodel, Igor Ozim, and Felix Galimir.
Mr. Otto has served as a faculty member of the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and the Kent/Blossom Festival. He is a frequent guest teacher at the New World Symphony, leading masterclasses and coaching sessions for aspiring orchestral musicians. Peter Otto currently teaches violin at Cleveland State University.