Rainer Kussmaul, violin, was born in Mannheim as a son of a musical family, received his first violin lessons from his father and then studied with Riccardo Odnoposoff. He performs worldwide as a soloist and as a member of the Stuttgart Piano Trio, formed in 1968.

Rainer Kussmaul was a prize-holder at numerous international violin competitions. Between his concert tours with renowned orchestras and conductors, he records for radio, television and compact disc.

Rainer Kussmaul is also a successful teacher. He gives master classes in many countries and has been director of the violin class at the Carl Flesch Academy in Baden-Baden since 1987. He has been a professor at the Freiburg Music Conservatory since 1977, with the exception of the period from 1993 to 1998 when he was given leave of absence to enable him to take up the position of 1^st Concert Master of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.