One of today's most sought-after cellists, Christian Poltéra was born in Zurich.

He was taught by extraordinary teachers such as Boris Pergamenschikow and Heinrich Schiff in Salzburg and Vienna.

As a soloist, he regularly performs with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Munich Philharmonic, Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, under the baton of conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Andris Nelsons, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner, among others.

He also devotes himself intensively to chamber music, in partnership with musicians such as Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Mitsuko Uchida, Lars Vogt, Kathryn Stott, Esther Hoppe and Ronald Brautigam, and with the Auryn and Zehetmair Quartets.

Together with violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann and violist Antoine Tamestit, he is a founding member of the acclaimed Trio Zimmermann, which performs at major concert halls and festivals across Europe.

In 2004, he was awarded the Borletti-Buitoni Prize and selected as one of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists.

He is a regular guest at the most prestigious festivals - such as Salzburg, Lucerne, Berlin, Edinburgh and Vienna - and made his debut at the BBC Proms in 2007.

Christian Poltéra's discography, acclaimed by the international press, reflects his wide and varied repertoire, including concertos by Dvořák, Dutilleux, Lutoslawski, Walton, Hindemith and Barber, as well as chamber music by Prokofiev, Fauré, Beethoven and Schubert.

Christian Poltéra is Professor of Cello at the University of Lucerne and plays the famous 1711 Stradivarius “Mara” cello.