Raphael Mentzen

Raphael Mentzen serves as a Lecturer in Trumpet at the Faculty of Music, Berlin University of the Arts, where he bridges academic instruction with an active professional orchestral career as principal trumpet of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin since 2000.

Education and Background:

• Born 1971 in Wevelinghoven on the Biederrhein
• Commenced trumpet studies at age nine
• Studied under Hans Schlimgen and Adam Bauer
• Advanced studies with Konradin Groth at Berlin University of the Arts (1990)
• Awarded concert examination with distinction

Performance Career: Mentzen's professional trajectory includes membership in the German National Youth Orchestra, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, and Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, followed by tenures at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Munich Radio Orchestra. As a founding member of >brass partout<, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin brass quintet, and >Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett<, he maintains significant chamber music commitments alongside his orchestral duties.

Teaching Focus: His pedagogical approach centers on trumpet technique refinement, orchestral excerpt mastery, and brass ensemble collaboration, directly informed by decades of stage experience. Performance practice constitutes his primary research domain, emphasizing interpretive traditions in brass literature and ensemble cohesion strategies.

Professional Affiliations:

• Current trumpet player, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (since 2000)
• Founding member, >brass partout< brass ensemble
• Founding member, >Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett<
• Former member, Deutsche Oper Berlin orchestra
• Former member, Munich Radio Orchestra