Violinist Mathias Tacke was a member of the acclaimed Vermeer Quartet of Chicago from 1992 until 2007. He is Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Northern Illinois University and Guest Lecturer for String Chamber Music at Northwestern University. With the Vermeer Quartet, Mathias Tacke gave performances in practically all of the most prestigious festivals, including Tanglewood, Taos, Ravinia, South Bank, Lucerne, Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein and Edinburgh. Three of the Vermeer Quartet recordings were nominated for Grammy Awards. In addition, Mathias Tacke appears internationally as a soloist and chamber player, performing a wide range of repertoire from the Baroque to the music of our time.
 
A native of Germany, Mathias Tacke studied with Ernst Mayer-Schierning in Detmold, Germany, with Emanuel Hurwitz and David Takeno in London, and with Sandor Vegh in Prussia Cove, Cornwall. He won first prize in the German National Youth Competition and graduated from the Musikakademie, Detmold, where he was later appointed to the faculty.
 
From 1983-1992, Mr. Tacke was a member of the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, one of the most important professional groups specializing in the performance of contemporary music. In this capacity, he gave countless first performances, including works by most of today’s leading composers. He has made numerous recordings for such labels as Sony, ECM, Harmonia Mundi, Naxos and Cedille.