Prof. Werner Hink, a long-time concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and a lecturer at our festival since 1996, passed away on May 21st, 2024 at his home in Vienna (aged 81).
We would like to express our deepest condolences to him.

For 22 years, from 1996 until just before he became ill in 2018, every year Prof. Hink came to Kusatsu after the Salzburg Music Festival in August to teach many young musicians and to show them the authentic Viennese sound.

Prof. Hink is famous for being a loving wife, a smoker, and a great lover of Yakiniku. He was so fond of Yakiniku that when looking for Prof. Hink in Kusatsu, the first place to look for him was a Yakiniku restaurant.
In Kusatsu, Prof. Hink performed many chamber music pieces by Mozart, his specialty, and Vienna waltzes by J. Lanner, J. Strauss II, etc.
On August 30, 2018, his last performance in Kusatsu, he was the soloist for “Spring” from A. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and his performance made us think he will continue to perform in the future.
His soft, like melting and spreading in the air tones still resomate in our heart.

Although he is now deceased and out of sight, we are sure that the music he played will be passed on to the next generation of musicians.
Thank you, Prof. Hink, for the many music and love you poured into our festival.

Rest in peace.