Raphael Gärtig studied flute at Dresden’s “Carl Maria von Weber” College of Music under Prof. Johannes Walter (a longtime principal flautist of the Dresden Staatskapelle), obtaining a double diploma in orchestral performance and music pedagogy.

He also benefited greatly from private lessons with Prof. Eckart Haupt as well as by attending the masterclasses of Robert Aitken and Kate Clark.

The topic of his diploma thesis (reviewed by Prof. Manfred Fechner and Prof. Ludger Rémy) was an edition and commentary of the Concerto in F major for Flute, Strings and Basso Continuo (QV 5:139) by Johann Joachim Quantz, the manuscript of which is in the archives of the Saxon State and University Library (SLUB) in Dresden.

After completing his studies, Gärtig developed a strong interest in historically informed performance practice, in particular the Baroque and Renaissance flute.

Gärtig was born in the city of Görlitz. At the local “Johann Adam Hiller” music school he initially learnt the recorder with Evelyn Kießling before taking up the flute under Marianne Schmidt-Brümmer. At the same time he took piano lessons. After preparatory tuition at Dresden’s College of Music with Prof. Arndt Schöne, he attended the Saxon Special School of Music (Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gymnasium; today: Landesgymnasium) from 1994–1998 with flute as his main subject under Prof. Ruth Börner and piano as a minor subject under Prof. Marlies Jacob.

From 1998–2000 Raphael Gärtig was a member of the Komponistenklasse Halle-Dresden where he received instruction in composition from Hans Jürgen Wenzel and Karsten Gundermann.

Raphael Gärtig works as a freelance flautist in Dresden, teaches at two music schools and since 2008 has been an instructor at the European Music Workshop in Altomünster. He is in much demand as a soloist and orchestral player as well as a chamber musician. For example, he has appeared in concert with Sibylla Rubens, Guido Schiefen, Sonja Korkeala, Markus Kreul, Jana Reiner and Matthias Grünert. He maintains a close and successful partnership with the German-Australian composer George Dreyfus, who also dedicated a solo piece for flute to him.
 

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