Norbert Himstedt
Orchestral Musician · Educator · President
A Life in Music
Norbert Himstedt began his musical training in Stuttgart and gained his first professional orchestral experience at the Württemberg State Theatre at the age of 14. Following his military service with the German Armed Forces Staff Band, he studied at the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts from 1987 to 1990. He subsequently continued his training with Professor Karl Mehlig at the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig. While still a student, he regularly performed with professional orchestras, including Süddeutscher Rundfunk and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
In 1993, he received his first permanent appointment as Principal Timpanist with the Philharmonic Orchestra Gelsenkirchen, now the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen. He joined the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1996 and has served as Principal Timpanist at Zurich Opera House since 2000.
He has also appeared as a guest with numerous renowned orchestras and opera houses, including the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Bavarian Radio in Munich, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. Throughout his career, he has worked with conductors including Sir Georg Solti, Bernard Haitink, Herbert Blomstedt, Kurt Masur and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Concert tours and opera engagements have taken him throughout Europe, Asia and South America.
Teaching and Mentorship
Alongside his orchestral career, education has become a central part of his work. Norbert Himstedt has taught within the Orchestra Academy of Zurich Opera House and has given masterclasses at music universities and training institutions across Europe, including in Munich, Salzburg, Freiburg and Florence.
Engagement in Cuba
Since March 2025, he has made regular working visits to Cuba. As a guest professor at the Universidad de las Artes (ISA), and through his teaching at the Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán and other institutions, he supports the development of young percussionists and timpanists. His work extends beyond teaching and individual mentorship to include repairing instruments and providing sticks, drumheads and other urgently needed materials.
His close collaboration with Cuban musicians and educational institutions gradually developed into an engagement reaching beyond music. Direct encounters with difficult living conditions inspired additional humanitarian projects. Together with local partners, the Norbert Himstedt Organisation therefore also supports the distribution of food, medicines and hygiene supplies.
This combination of musical education, practical assistance and lasting personal relationships now forms the foundation of the Norbert Himstedt Organisation’s work.