Founder and music director of Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Berlin, Michael Zukernik has graduated Hochschule der Kuenste Berlin (the Higher School of Arts in Berlin) also made opera and symphony postgraduate conducting studies at the University for Music and Fine Arts in Vienna.
He worked as solo-timpanist in Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (Spain) and Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand).
His conducting lessons with Jorma Panula took place in Finland, Sweden, Germany Russia, Croatia etc. Further more Michael Zukernik took part in Masterclasses with Colin Metters, Leif Segerstam, Otto Werner Mueller, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Vladimir Ponkin, Gustav Meier, Janosh Fürst, Sir Colin Davis, Pierre Boulez.
In 2002 Michael Zukernik founded his own orchestra “Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Berlin” which performs regularly at Philharmonie Berlin and Konzerthaus Berlin and also acts as concert promoter in Germany. In the season 2009/2010 promoted about 25 concerts and 30 Musicals were held at Philharmonie Berlin, Konzerthaus Berlin, Berliner Dom, Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Beethovenhalle Bonn, Leizhalle Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Hannover and others.
Michael Zukernik’s repertoire contains compositions from the Baroque, to modern opera.
Michael Zukernik conducted the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Staatskapelle Weimar, Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Nueremberger Symphony Orchestra, Goettingen Symphony Orchestra, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation (Государственный Академический Симфонический Оркестр России), St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Thüringen Philharmonie, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Berlin Sinfonietta (Chamber Orchestra of Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin), Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Prague, Philharmonic Orchestra of KMV in Kislovodsk (Russia), etc. He was invited as a guest conductor with the Macao Orchestra, China, and made a tour in New Zealand with Auckland Philharmonia. In 2006 he went on tour to China where he conducted 10 concerts in the most important theaters as the Shanghai Opera House, Beijing Cultural Centre, etc. In 2010 he went on tour to South Korea with Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Berlin and he conducted 9 concerts.
He speaks fluently Russian, German, English, French, Hebrew and Spanish. In free time he likes playing golf and yoga. He is married and has two children.
