Tour Dates: 30 Apr - 10 May, 2009

“...the Ensemble Salzburg played on the highest level with sensitivity and love for details and interpretation...” 
- Kronen Zeitung

The Ensemble Salzburg is a unique ensemble combining both string and wind instruments with piano.   Their repertoire consists of symphonies by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven - all arranged for flute, violin, cello and piano by Mozarts student Johann Nepomuk Hummel. These arrangements were used to introduce and promote the symphonies to music lovers around Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The members of the Ensemble Salzburg have played in orchestras including the Camerata Salzburg and the Mozarteum Orchestra and were so impressed by Hummels arrangements that they decided to form their own group to perform them.  Their recording of Mozarts Jupiter Symphony was released in 2006 and immediately followed by an extensive tour of Japan.

The repertoire of the Ensemble Salzburg does not stop with the symphonic repertoire by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. They also frequently perform duos, trios and quartets by classical, romantic and contemporary composers, creating unlimited programming possibilities.  The Ensemble Salzburg recently commissioned the Czech composer Jiri Gemrot to make an arrangement for them (in the same style that J. N. Hummel did) of the one existing movement of Beethovens 10th symphony. The first performances will take place in the summer of 2008 in Austria.

Formed in 2005, the Ensemble Salzburg has already performed in several European countries, in Japan and in the United States. Upcoming tours include Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

Risa Schuchter was born in Salzburg and studied both in Vienna with Gerhard Schulz and in Chicago with Shmuel Askenasi. She finished her studies with the highest distinctions and also won several competitions including the “concorso di giovani violinisti” in Gorizia, the annual award for young musicians awarded by the American Austrian Foundation and the “Jugend musiziert”. She plays regularly with the Camerata Salzburg and has also appeared in recital at the “Stiftung Mozarteum”. As a soloist she has performed with orchestras including the “Philharmonie der Nationen” conducted by Justus Frantz, Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Leopold Mozart Chamber Orchestra and the “Salzburger Musici”. Risa Schuchter also performs in Japan, the USA and in Europe.

Elena Braslavsky was born in Moscow. She studied at the Gnesin School of Music and later, after immigrating to the United States, she received her doctoral degree at the Juilliard School in New York. As a Fulbright and DAAD scholar, she also studied at the Staatliche Hochschule for Music in Cologne and at the European Mozart Academy in Prague. Her active concert schedule has taken her to many famous concert halls in North and South America, Japan, Korea and in Europe where she has performed together with artist including Steven Isserlis, Nobuko Imai and Mstislav Rostropovich. Elena Braslavsky has served on the faculties of the Juilliard School of Music, the Mannes College in New York and currently teaches at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Bernhard Krabatsch was born in Wels, Austria, and studied in Vienna with Wolfgang Schulz. His career as a soloist has taken him to some of the most renowned  festivals throughout Europe. He performed at the Salzburg Festival, the festival weeks in Vienna and Berlin as well as the Easter Festival in Lucerne, where he appeared in concerts with musicians including Murray Perahia, Aurèle Nicolet, Sándor Végh and the Hagen Quartet. Bernhard Krabatsch is the principal flutist of both the Mozarteum Orchestra and the Camerata Salzburg and serves on the faculty of the University Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Jeremy Findlay was born in Toronto and began cello studies with his father, William Findlay. He later studied with Daniel Domb at the University of Toronto, with Josef Chuchro in Prague and at the European Mozart Academy where he worked with Sándor Végh. Featured as a soloist, Jeremy Findlay has performed and recorded with orchestras including the Prague Philharmonia, the Camerata Salzburg and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. As a recitalist and chamber musician he has appeared in many prestigious venues including the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Coliseo in Buenos Aires, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center and at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Reviews

“...the Ensemble Salzburg played on the highest level with sensitivity and love for details and interpretation...” 

- Kronen Zeitung

“...the Ensemble played Hummel’s Version of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony with lots of energy, amazingly powerful sound and great quality...”                                                     

- Drehpunkt Kultur

“...Krabatsch has the most limpid of tones, with wonderfully expressive phrasing and articulation...”

- The Independent

“...Risa Schuchter played with secure bow-technique, perfect intonation, sound quality, tones that were flattering and with security in taste and interpretation.”      

- Salzburger Nachrichten

“Jeremy Findlay commands a secure technique, a nicely formed tone and good musical instincts.”                         

- Toronto Star