Carsten Dürer studied – after long time playing the piano and viola – musicology, library science and German at the University of Cologne. During his studies, he established himself as a freelance music journalist for several magazines and newspapers. In 1990, he became editor in chief of the magazines Instrumentenbau-Zeitschrift (the oldest magazine for musical instruments in Germany) and PIANOForte, a piano magazine. In 1997 he established his own magazine PIANONews – Magazin für Flügel und Klavier, which he runs until today. Between 2003 und 2014 he also published the magazine ENSEMBLE, a chamber music magazine. Carsten Dürer is also a sought after pedagogue: Right now, he teaches at the University of Music and Theatre in Rostock (Germany) and at the International Anton Rubinstein Academy in Düsseldorf. In addition, Carsten Dürer was jury member of several international competitions for piano and chamber music like Artur Rubinstein Competition Tel Aviv, Schumann Piano Competition Zwickau, Premio Trio di Trieste among others. For many years, Dürer was one of he chairmen of the European Chamber Music Teachers Association (ECMTA) and also a jury member of the ECHO-Klassik Prize.