Cellist Marcel Johannes Kits is one of the most promising cellists of his generation, having won the 3rd prize at the Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition (2022) and 1st prize at the George Enescu International Competition (2018).
His most recent concerto highlights are the Elgar concerto with Philharmonia Orchestra (London) under Santtu-Matias Rouvali and with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under Antoni Wit, a tour in Belgium with the Belgian National Orchestra under conductor Eivind Aadland (Schumann concerto), a tour in Estonia and South Korea with the Estonian Festival Orchestra under conductor Paavo Järvi (Brahms Double concerto) and the Haydn concerto in C Major with Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta under maestro Neeme Järvi.
He has performed as soloist with many other orchestras such as the Brussels Philharmonic, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Kymi Sinfonietta, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Novosibirsk Chamber Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel SO Rishon LeZion, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, etc., and conductors such as Stéphane Denève, Vahan Mardirossian, Vassily Sinaisky, Olari Elts, Robertas Šervenikas, Volodymyr Sirenko, Andres Mustonen, Risto Joost, Gintaras Rinkevičius, Yuwon Kim, Tõnu Kaljuste, Ville Matvejeff, Arvo Volmer, Mihkel Kütson and many others. As guest principal cellist he has played with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Recitals have taken Marcel as far as China and Japan and to great venues such as Carnegie Hall, Bozar and Flagey in Brussels, the grand hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonia, Moscow Conservatory, grand hall of Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, grand hall of Konzerthaus Berlin, Berliner Philharmonie, Boulez Saal, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Prinzregententheater München, Romanian Athenaeum, Tel Aviv Opera House and Jerusalem Theatre. Festival appearances have included the Pärnu Music Festival, Young Euro Classic, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Musical Olympus Festival, MustonenFest Tel Aviv, etc.
Marcel showed great interest in the cello when he was just four years old, and began his first lessons at the age of five. He studied with Laine Leichter and Mart Laas in Tallinn Music High School and from 2014, with prof. Francis Gouton at the Trossingen University of Music. Since 2018 Marcel is continuing his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts with prof. Jens Peter Maintz. Masterclasses have given him the opportunity to work with Steven Isserlis, prof. Ivan Monighetti, prof. David Geringas, prof. Maria Kliegel, prof. Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, prof. Wen-Sinn Yang, prof. Jan-Erik Gustafsson, prof. Marko Ylönen and many others.
Marcel receives a scholarship from the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein and participates regularly in the intensive music weeks and activities offered by the Academy. He is supported by Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians, which awarded him the “Musician of the year” prize in 2019.
Marcel plays an Italian cello made by Francesco Ruggeri (Cremona, 1674) and a bow made by Victor Fetique, both kindly on loan to him by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.
