Matthias von Hintzenstern was born in 1953 in Eisenach. After completing his Abitur, he studied cello at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar. He began his career as an orchestral musician in 1976, first with the State Symphony Orchestra of Thuringia (Gotha) and later, from 1980 to 2018, with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Altenburg-Gera Theater.
In 1980, he co-founded the Ensemble für Intuitive Musik, Weimar (EFIM).
The ensemble’s performances have taken them to major cities across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, covering a total of 30 countries.
Matthias has collaborated on programs with renowned poets and writers, including Ernst Jandl, Reiner Kunze, Friederike Mayröcker, Ruth Weiss (USA), and Jan Wagner (Büchner Prize winner, 2017).
In these performances, the poets read their works while he responds spontaneously with cello improvisations and overtone singing.
He is also an active musician as a bandoneon soloist and contributes to the puppet theater production of Jedermann in Gera, where he improvises live cello accompaniment for the play.
In autumn 2024, Jedermann was performed at the Puppets Puppet Theater Festival in Salzburg.