Latest: Murdered pianist was US-born opera repetiteur

Police in Bonn have allowed media to name the pianist whose body was found in a shallow forest grave not far from Bonn.

She was Kate de Marcken, 50, an American-born pianist who grew up in Belgium and was married to a player in the Beethoven Orchestra.

Her husband, unnamed, has been arrested and charged with her murder. When he first reported her missing, he claimed she had gone to visit her family in Liège.

Kate was a vocal coach at La Monnaie, Bonn Opera and Salzburg. She assisted at the world premiere of Peter Eotvos’s opera, Three Sisters, among other productions. She accompanied visiting singers in Bonn recitals.

A friend describes her to Slipped Disc as ‘the kindest human being’. The last time they spoke she had asked for his assistance in relocating to New York.

Kate leaves a 12 year-old son.

The music community in Bonn are in a state of shock at this appalling tragedy.