Sebastian Berner (b. 1994), currently Principal Trumpet of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and first-prize winner at the 2022 International Maurice André Competition in Paris, is among the world’s leading trumpeters of his generation. He received his first trumpet lessons at age 9 with Markus Klein.

Berner was a member of state and national youth orchestras in Germany and has won prizes in numerous competitions, including First Prize at the 2016 “Città di Chieri” in Italy, Second Prize at the 2016 International Reinhold Friedrich Trumpet Competition in Lisbon, First Prize at the 2017 International Bodensee Competition, and Second Prize at the 2017 Lions European Music Competition in Montreux.

From 2013–2016 Berner studied with Hannes Läubin at the Hochschule for Music and Theatre Munich. He continued his studies from 2016–2018 with Reinhold Friedrich at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe.

As Guest Principal Trumpet, Berner has performed with major orchestras including the BerlinPhilharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Bamberg Symphony. In 2026 he will perform as Principal Trumpet with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. He has worked with conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Gustavo Dudamel, Riccardo Chailly, and Maxim Emelyanychev.

As a soloist, Berner has appeared with orchestras including the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine in Paris, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.

His performances have taken him to renowned venues including Carnegie Hall (New York), Seoul Arts Center, Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Beijing Arts Center, Boston Symphony Hall, Harpa Hall (Reykjavík), Philharmonie de Paris, and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Masterclasses have brought him to Korea, France, Spain, Poland, and Canada.

From 2018–2021 Sebastian Berner served as Principal Trumpet of the Stuttgart State Orchestra before joining the Frankfurt Radio Symphony in 2022.