OPUS KLASSIK prize-winner Tatjana Ruhland was once described by a reviewer as the «Paganini of the flute», and the Tagesspiegel (Berlin’s leading newspaper), on the occasion of Debussy’s «Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune» with the Berlin Philharmonic, referred to her as «a fabulous faun» and summed up: «Even for the first bars, the cheering at the end is deserved». The Fono Forum noted that Ruhland could «play it all out: Virtuosity, transitions, contrasts». Following her recording of Carl Reinecke’s flute works, reviewers described Tatjana Ruhland as «top class of her guild» and a «virtuoso and volatile flutist» with a «warm tone full of creative intensity.» This recording, praised by Crescendo magazine as a «passionate declaration of love,» was awarded the OPUS KLASSIK as Concert Recording of the Year.

Tatjana Ruhland performs as a soloist with leading ensembles. Most recently, her performances included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756–1791) Concerto for Flute and Orchestra No. 1 in G Major with the Lower Saxony State Orchestra in Hanover, conducted by Chief Music Director Francesco Angelico; Jindřich Feld’s (1925–2007) Concerto for Flute and Orchestra with the Israel Chamber Orchestra under Principal Conductor Ruben Gazarian, and Malcolm Arnold’s (1921–2006) Concerto for Flute and Strings No. 1, Op. 45, with the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra of Pforzheim under Principal Conductor Douglas Bostock. The press described Tatjana Ruhland as a soloist who is “a flute queen in a class of her own,” noting that she produces “a veritable stream of golden sound on her flute,” and attested to her “seemingly effortless virtuosic brilliance.”

Tatjana Ruhland applies her musical prowess and inspiring stage presence to well thought-out programs and ambitious projects. On her latest CD, the artist presents the world premiere recording of David Philip Hefti’s Flute Concerto “Media Nox” – dedicated to her – alongside works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Following recordings of works by composer Mel Bonis, the 2026/27 season will focus on the rediscovery of works by Johanna Senfter, Amy Beach, and Cécile Chaminade.

The flutist is regularly invited to renowned festivals such as the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Mozartfest Würzburg, the Heidelberg Spring, the Musikfest Stuttgart, the Prague Spring, the Bach Week Ansbach, the Lucerne Festival and the Festival de Radio France and has furthermore played in the orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival.

As principal flutist of the Southwest German Radio (SWR) Symphony Orchestra and as a soloist and guest performer with other major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Bamberg Symphony, the North German Radio (NDR) Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the Bavarian State Orchestra, and the the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra of Saarbrücken and Kaiserslautern, Tatjana Ruhland regularly performs in concerts in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Hamburg, Bamberg, Vienna and Zurich, and works with the great conductors of our time, including Herbert Blomstedt, Gustavo Dudamel, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, Manfred Honeck, Jakub Hrůša, Kirill Petrenko, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Sanderling and Christian Thielemann.

Tatjana Ruhland has appeared as a chamber music partner with Frank Dupree, Eckart Heiligers, Angela Hewitt, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Christina Landshamer, Sebastian Manz, Emmanuel Pahud, Matthias Höfs, Christian Schmitt, Yaara Tal, Alexei Volodin and Wen-Sinn Yang.

Born in Regensburg, the flutist was trained in Munich and New York and won awards at major international competitions (in Prague, Kobe and New York, among others). As a sought-after teacher, Tatjana Ruhland gives master classes in Europe, Asia and the USA, is a jury member for the German Music Competition («Deutscher Musikwettbewerb»), among other events; and taught for several years as a professor of flute at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts.

(Last update: September 2026. Please do not use older material.)