Christine HOOCK
Christine Hoock captivates audiences with her talent as a soloist, chamber musician, and artistic visionary. With exceptional virtuosity and expressiveness, she explores the fascinating possibilities of the double bass on international stages, whether as a soloist, in ensembles, or in intergenre projects.
A professor at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg and a sought-after speaker at international masterclasses, she helps to train the next generation of musical talent and breathes new artistic life into the industry with her innovative approach.
Christine Hoock – The Soul of the Double Bass
"Each musician intuitively chooses the instrument whose timbre and soul resonate with their inner voice."
For Christine Hoock, it is the double bass – an instrument which, in her virtuoso hands, becomes a unique and inimitable voice.
An internationally renowned solo bassist and chamber musician, Christine Hoock captivates audiences worldwide in concert halls, festivals, and masterclasses. Her versatility is reflected in an impressive discography, ranging from classical masterpieces to cross-disciplinary projects encompassing world music, jazz, and electronic music – always combining artistic excellence with an insatiable curiosity.
Christine Hoock has performed at major international festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the San Sebastián Festival, the Portogruaro Music Festival and the Berlin and Salzburg festivals.
She collaborates with exceptional artists such as Alessandro Taverna, Esther Hoppe, John Goldsby, Benjamin Schmid, Ariane Haering, Enrico Bronzi and DJ Umberto Echo.
With captivating ease and virtuosity, this innovative musician pushes the expressive boundaries of the double bass as a solo instrument. Christine Hoock inspires composers worldwide, who dedicate works to her, including pieces for solo double bass and concertos by Rabih Abou-Khalil, Gloria Coates, Ralph Towner, Paul Chihara, Toshio Hosokawa, and Arni Egilsson.
In 2021, his exceptional talent was rewarded with the "Solo Performance" prize from the International Society of Double Bassists.
For over ten years, Christine Hoock was associate double bassist and then principal double bassist of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne and other major German orchestras. At the same time, she taught double bass at the Robert Schumann University of Music in Düsseldorf and at the Folkwang University of the Arts.
In 2002, she was appointed professor of double bass at the prestigious Mozarteum University of Salzburg, where she continues to pass on her art to the next generation. In 2014, she was also invited as a visiting professor at the Beijing Conservatory.
Christine Hoock is in international demand as a juror – serving on competition panels and acting as a mentor in the global music scene. With the International Rhodius Academy for Double Bass hosted at Schloss Burg Namedy, which she founded, she sets new standards in the nurturing of young talent.
From 2016 to 2023, she played a leading role in shaping the double bass world as artistic director of the International J.M. Sperger Competition and as president of the International Sperger Society.
Her commitment to the next generation is also reflected in her arrangements for double bass ensembles – spanning composers from Philip Glass and Telemann to Michel Corrette – as well as in her work with BassART, an ensemble of students and alumni.
On social media, Christine Hoock shares her passion for the double bass with a global community through artistic and educational videos.
Her musical journey began with awards at conservatories in Frankfurt and Geneva, where she studied under the renowned Maestri Günter Klaus and Franco Petracchi. Even during her studies, she founded the Frankfurter Kontrabass Quartett, which went on to achieve international acclaim.
Christine Hoock performs on an English double bass made by William Tarr in 1848 – a tonal treasure that gives rich expression to her artistic voice.