Karl Leister

Karl Leister is a classical clarinet player from Wilhelmshaven, Germany. At a very young age, he learned to play the clarinet from his father, also a clarinetist, and later studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. As a teenager, he was accepted into the Komische Oper Berlin under Václav Neumann and Walter Felsenstein as clarinet soloist.
In 1959, Leister joined the Berlin [Philharmonic Orchestra] under the baton of Herbert von Karajan; this musical association was to last for thirty years. During this time, he became internationally recognized as a soloist and chamber musician. He was also one of the founding members of the Bläser der Berliner Philharmoniker, which made a number of recordings – including Brahms's "Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Opus 115". Additionally, he co-founded the Ensemble Wien-Berlin.
The creation of the Herbert von Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra has permitted Leister to teach music to a whole new generation of musicians. From 1993 to 2002, Leister held the position of Professor at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin.

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