Leonhard Roczek was born in 1983 into a family of musicians in Salzburg. He began playing the piano at the age of four, and three years later, he received his first cello lessons. At the age of ten, he began studying at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, first with Heidi Litschauer, later with Clemens Hagen (Hagen Quartet). After graduating from high school, he continued his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Valentin Erben (Alban Berg Quartet) and completed his master's degree with distinction in 2010.
Already at a young age, he was a multiple prizewinner of cello competitions such as Liezen, Gorizia and Gradus ad Parnassum, as well as a scholarship holder of the Thyll-Dürr-Foundation (Switzerland), and attended master classes with Zara Nelsova, Wolfgang Böttcher, Christoph Richter, Patrick Demenga, among others.
Leonhard Roczek is a founding member of the Minetti Quartett, with whom he has been playing concerts in North and South America, Japan, China, Australia and many European music centers for over 17 years. After receiving numerous scholarships and prizes at major international string quartet competitions, the “European Rising Star Series” presented the Minetti Quartett on the stages of the most prestigious European concert halls. Since then appearances included Wigmore Hall London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Berlin Philharmonie, Konserthuset Stockholm, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Palau de la Musica Barcelona, and Vienna Musikverein. In addition, the quartet is a regular guest at major chamber music festivals (e.g. Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Salzburg Mozart Week, Aldeburgh, Aix-en-Provence, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein, Kuhmo, Cuernavaca) and has its own cycle in Vienna. His chamber music partners include Fazil Say, Till Fellner, Herbert Schuch, Paul Meyer, Jörg Widmann, Martin Fröst, Sharon Kam, Matthias Schorn, Andreas Ottensamer, Sarah Willis, Thomas Riebl, Friedemann Weigle, István Várdai and Alois Posch. He also received important artistic impulses from Ferenc Rados, Alfred Brendel, Anner Bylsma, Johannes Meissl, as well as members of the Alban Berg Quartet, Amadeus Quartet, Artemis Quartet, and Hagen Quartet.
The Minetti Quartett has released several highly acclaimed CD recordings in the past ten years. Joseph Haydn (debut album): "It's been a long time since we have heard a more spectacular and exciting CD release (KlassikInfo)". Felix Mendelssohn: "A triumph and a sensation. These four young musicians play Mendelssohn with such ravishing transparency and flawless clarity, at the same time dramatic and sharp, full of light, but with depth, as only the best among the very good can (Eleonore Büning in the FAZ of 13.9.2012)". Ludwig van Beethoven: "Uncompromising, but completely unpathetic, the intonation flawless, the technical superiority admirable. The urgency of their playing consciously avoids the mere beautiful sound, but also celebrates Beethoven’s exuberant delight in combinatorial playing - and thus hits the humane core of this music (BR-Klassik)". Franz Schubert: "The Minetti Quartet seems to float effortlessly and redeemed above things. An impressive anniversary album on which the quiet tones are the important ones (BR-Klassik)". Next year a CD with music from the 20th century will be released.
In addition to his intensive activity with the string quartet, Leonhard Roczek also devotes himself to the piano trio as well as the duo with piano (currently CD recording with sonatas for violoncello and piano "around Mozart"). He also appears regularly as a soloist with various symphony and chamber orchestras (Graz Philharmonic, Radio Symphonic Orchestra Vienna, Brucknerorchester Linz, Philharmonie Salzburg, Radio Symphony Orchestra Tirana), has gained orchestra experience with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Camerata Salzburg and has also been active since his youth as a composer, rock musician (Metaphysis, Genuine Aspect) and arranger (Kolophonistinnen).
He has given master classes for violoncello and chamber music in Spain (Conde Duque Madrid), Sweden (Musikhögskolan Ingesund), Finland (Kuhmo Festival), Canada (McGill University), Mexico (Sonoro Festival) and in the USA (University of Northern Iowa, Colorado State University, Utah State University).
Since 2014, he has been teaching chamber music at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg. This activity has become increasingly important in his artistic work in recent years and is reflected in the success of his students in competitions and invitations to concerts and festivals. Leonhard Roczek is currently Deputy Chairman of the Institute for Chamber Music.
He performs on a violoncello by Giovanni Tononi (Bologna, 1681), by courtesy of the Austrian National Bank.
