Austrian cellist Martin Rummel is far more than only a cellist: “Musician, cultural manager, academic, enjoying life”, is how he describes himself, albeit that playing the cello remains his “core business”. A growing number (currently more than 50) CD albums for various international labels result in ongoing praise from international press and audiences as well as his reputation as one of the leading cellists of his generation. Numerous premiere recordings and musical rediscoveries testify for Rummel’s belief that content is more important than packaging. “The big task for the next generation is to finally throw out the tuxedo, to focus on what and how music is made rather than on who plays where”, he says.

Martin Rummel is a regular guest of orchestras, festivals and venues across Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, with conductors and chamber music partners of all generations – namedropping is not his. As a pedagogue, he has published a series of editions of all major cello etudes which have become standard worldwide. For four years, he was the Head of School at the University of Auckland’s School of Music and an honorary professor at the China Conservatory of Music before becoming Chief Executive of the holding company of the JAM MUSIC LAB Private University for Jazz and Popular Music and the International Academy of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Being a passionate music communicator, he is the owner and mastermind of paladino media (with four record labels and a publishing division), had his own radio show for six years, and writes and talks about music in many different formats.

Rummel is an alumnus of the Brucknerkonservatorium Linz and the Cologne Musikhochschule. His heart lies in a playing tradition that was conveyed to him during a decade of studies with the legendary William Pleeth, always focusing on the music, not the musician.