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Kronberg Academy Adds Three Leading String Teachers
Maintz, Thedéen and Mönkemeyer join the 2026–27 faculty.
Kronberg Academy has announced new faculty appointments for the 2026–27 academic year, adding cellists Jens Peter Maintz and Torleif Thedéen and violist Nils Mönkemeyer to its principal teaching team. Pianist Kirill Gerstein will continue his chamber-music and duo coaching.
The appointments bring together musicians with substantial performing careers and experience in several different conservatoire systems. For an academy centred on advanced string training, that combination is intended to connect technical development with the demands of a professional musical life.
Maintz has taught at Berlin University of the Arts since 2004 and has extensive experience in international masterclasses, including work in Liechtenstein and Madrid. His arrival adds another established cello pedagogue to the academy’s teaching resources.
Thedéen combines his performance career with teaching at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and a visiting professorship at London’s Royal College of Music. His work across those institutions brings a further perspective on preparing young cellists for the stage.
Mönkemeyer became a professor at Berlin’s Hanns Eisler School of Music in summer 2025, following appointments in Dresden and Munich. His addition strengthens the viola side of the academy’s programme.
Friedemann Eichhorn, artistic director of studies, has emphasised the value of teachers who combine active concert experience with the ability to help young musicians develop an individual artistic voice. The announcement concerns that relationship between established performers and emerging professionals, rather than simply the accumulation of prominent names.
Gerstein’s continuing contribution also keeps collaborative playing within the picture. Duo and chamber coaching ask string players to listen, negotiate and shape music with others—skills that complement the concentrated work of an instrumental studio.
The new appointments give the 2026–27 cohort access to several distinct teaching backgrounds while maintaining the academy’s emphasis on close contact between performance and education.