Marie-Christine Zupancic is Section Leader Flute of the renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra which performs regularly in Europe's most famous concert halls. She frequently appears as a soloist with her orchestra as well; the next solo performance will be the Mozart Flute and Harp concerto with Xavier de Maistre under the baton of Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla on September 28th in Birmingham and September 30th in Saffron Walden.



Born in Germany, Marie-Christine studied at the Conservatoire in Cologne with Professor Robert Winn. She won numerous prizes in international flute competitions in Cremona, Moulins, Cracow and Bayreuth. After graduating in Cologne she won a place at the distinguished Karajan Academy and subsequently played with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for two years. Highlights included a tour of the US under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.



Chamber music has always been an important part of Marie-Christine's life. During her studies she was awarded a scholarship with "Villa Musica" with her woodwind quintet and toured China and South America. In Birmingham she is a regular guest at the chamber music series "Centre Stage". In June 2014 she was invited to play at Lars Vogt's festival "Spannungen" in Heimbach, Germany. The live recording of Mahler 4 in Erwin Stein's chamber music version won the Mahler Record Prize 2015.



Marie-Christine is very dedicated to promoting new music. As the principal flautist of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group she has premiered many pieces, most recently Oliver Knussen's "O Hototogisu! fragment of a Japonisme" for soprano, flute and large ensemble at the Aldeburgh Festival 2017.



On top of a busy concert schedule, Marie-Christine teaches at the Birmingham Conservatoire, gives masterclasses all over the world and leads sectional rehearsals for the cbso youth orchestra and the Yorkshire Young Sinfonia.



She plays a 14k Brannen-Cooper rose gold flute with a Brannen/Lafin headjoint that was handmade for her in Boston, MA in 2013.

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