Michael Hasel
flute, conductor
Michael Hasel studied in the master class of Aurèle Nicolet, who was principal flute of the Berliner Philharmoniker in the 1950s under Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan. Hasel has been playing in the orchestra’s ranks since 1984 – on a flute that sounds as warm as it does bright, which he developed for himself together with the renowned instrument maker Anton Braun. Unlike the flutes of many of his colleagues, it is largely made of wood: “I have always found the sound of wooden instruments very pleasing and very suitable for me personally”.
Michael Hasel was already playing the piano, organ and harpsichord when he turned to the flute. After graduating from high school, he studied the instrument at Freiburg University of Music as well as piano and conducting. After two years as principal piccolo with the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Michael Hasel became a flautist with the Berliner Philharmoniker. From 1994 to 1998, he was also professor of ensemble conducting and chamber music at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim. For many years, Hasel has been a member of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra as principal flute and is a founding member of the Philharmonic Wind Quintet Berlin, with whom he has performed worldwide and recorded numerous CDs. In addition to many other solo and chamber music activities, Michael Hasel teaches at the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker and at international master classes. As a conductor, he has worked with renowned ensembles and orchestras in Europe, South America and Japan, such as the Ensemble Modern, the Scharoun Ensemble, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra.
