Sparkling joy in performing, astonishing technical skills, interpretive sensitivity and musical ingenuity as well as a colourful variety of sound characterises the clarinettist, Vera Karner, currently academist at Staatskapelle Dresden. 

The media describe her as an extremely versatile musician whose "equally supple and powerful clarinet sound impresses above all in the virtuoso parts with its precision and nuanced clarity." (Spiegel online)

 

Her talent has been recognised by numerous awards; Vera Karner has won both national and international competitions, including the International Cibulka Competition 2018 (Austria), the Yamaha Scholarship Competition 2018 (Germany), the Musica Juventutis Competiton 2017 and 2015 (Wiener Konzerthaus), the Fanny Mendelssohn Förderpreis Competition 2016 (Germany), and the Lions Music Competition 2015 (Austria). 

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Karner recorded her innovative debut CD "Gassenhauer" for Berlin Classics (Edel AG) together with ECHO Klassik award winner Dominik Wagner (double bass) and Aurelia Visovan (piano). Her next album - works for clarinet and piano by Alejandro del Valle-Lattanzio - recorded for Gramola, will be released in 2021.

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As a chamber musician Vera Karner is fascinated above all by unusual arrangements and thus the exploration, discovery and transcription of lesser-known works as well as the premieres of new music.

Vera Karner mainly performs with Dominik Wagner (double bass) and in Trio DOBONA with Nicole Henter (flute) and Mennan Berveniku (piano). She has performed at premieres of works by Wolfram Wagner, Judith Varga, Dieter Kaufmann, Alejandro del Valle-Lattanzio and Akos Banlaky, among others.  

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Vera Karner was recorded in Austria for Radio Ö1 and Radio Klassik. She could also be heard on the German stations WDR, MDR, RBB, NDR and Klassikradio.

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In the 2018/19 season, Vera Karner performed in Japan, Denmark, Israel, Palestine, Croatia and Kuwait as part of the worldwide concert promotion programme of the Austrian Foreign Ministry "NASOM".

As a soloist Vera Karner has performed with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Varna State Opera (Bulgaria), the Philharmonic Orchestra of Stara Zagora State Opera (Bulgaria), the Euro Symphonie SFK (Austria), the Camerata Andres Bello (Chile) and others. A special musical highlight was the New York premiere of "Nature of light" (Michael Gandolfi) with the Chelsea Festival Strings conducted by Ken-David Masur.

Vera Karner played numerous concerts in the Vienna Musikverein, Vienna Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Frauenkirche Dresden, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Schloss Elmau and performed at festivals such as the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival (Germany), the Musicales de Baabdath (Lebanon), the Chelsea Music Festival (New York) and the Encuentro Festival (Spain). The Vienna Musikverein engaged Vera Karner for the "Young Musicians" season in 2019.

 

Karner has served as a substitute in the orchestra of the Wiener Symphoniker, Wiener Volksoper and in the stage orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper. She currently plays as an academist at Staatskapelle Dresden.

 

Vera Karner is a student of Prof. Benda (UDK Berlin), Prof. Pachinger (KUG Graz), Prof. Reiner Wehle and Prof. Sabine Meyer (MHL Lübeck) and Prof. Alexander Neubauer (MUK Wien). She completed her Bachelor at MUK Wien in 2017 with distinction.

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Vera Karner demonstrated her social commitment by founding the society Musericordia, an organisation that organises benefit concerts and music workshops for children from socially deprived backgrounds in Romania, Austria and Germany (www.musericordia.com); she is also a member of Live Music Now, founded by Yehudi Menuhin, which brings the power of music to people beyond concert halls.

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