The Clarinet Trio Anthology │Daniel Ottensamer + Stephan Koncz + Christoph Traxler

Stephan Koncz comes from an Austro-Hungarian family of musicians and began studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts in his home city of Vienna at the age of eight. In 2000, he moved to the Vienna Conservatory under Róbert Nagy and from 2002 also studied composition and conducting at the university in his home city. Master classes with Daniel Barenboim, Steven Isserlis, Heinrich Schiff, Olaf Maninger, Tamás Varga and chamber music activities with Julian Rachlin, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic and others provided further decisive impulses.

In 2006, Stephan Koncz was awarded a scholarship from the Orchestra Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker. The winner of several national and international competitions, he has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at venues such as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonie. His position as solo cellist in the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra has led to an intensive collaboration with the violinist Maxim Vengerov. At the beginning of the 2010/2011 season, Stephan Koncz, who was previously a member of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra for two years, joined the cello section of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Daniel Ottensamer has been described as a "clarinettist in a class of his own". Both as a soloist and chamber musician, as well as in his role as principal clarinettist of the Vienna Philharmonic, Daniel Ottensamer performs with renowned orchestras and important artists in the world's most important music centers.

Numerous prizes at international competitions, such as the "Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition" in Denmark in 2009, have accompanied his artistic career.

Past solo highlights include Daniel Ottensamer's debut with the Vienna Philharmonic and Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto as well as his appearances as a soloist under Lorin Maazel, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Adam Fischer, Ivor Bolton etc.

CD releases include a recording of W.A. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. In 2019 he released "La Vie en Rose", a collection of French works for clarinet and orchestra, and in 2020 a recording of the Brahms Sonata, orchestrated by Luciano Berio (Sony Classical).

Daniel Ottensamer is a founding member of the ensemble "Philharmonix", which covers a musical repertoire ranging from classical music, jazz and klezmer to pop and swing and won the "Opus Klassik" award in 2018.

His chamber music partners include musical personalities such as Daniel Barenboim, Angelika Kirchschlager, Barbara Bonney, Thomas Hampson, Bobby McFerrin, Krassimira Stoyanova, Heinrich Schiff, Julian Rachlin and the Hagen Quartet.

Daniel Ottensamer creates his own cycles at the Muth Vienna (Daniel Ottensamer in the Muth) and in the Great Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus (Philharmonix).

Born and raised in Upper Austria, trained in Linz and Vienna, winner of numerous international competitions, Christoph Traxler has established himself internationally as a pianist with an enormous range and impresses as a soloist and chamber musician in the world's most important music centers. Guest appearance with the Beethoven Piano Concerto in the Toyota City Hall. Solo recital tours and chamber music concerts with fellow artists such as The Clarinotts, Ödön Racz, Karlheinz Schütz, Sophie Derveux and Daniel Ottensamer have taken him to China, Taiwan and Japan. His new recording of works by Schubert and Liszt will be released in spring 2021. He also appears as a Lied accompanist for Kammersänger Adrian Eröd.

With his ensemble "Philharmonix - The Vienna Berlin Music Club", in addition to subscription concerts and the New Year's Eve gala concert at the Wiener Konzerthaus, concert tours to Japan (including Tokyo Opera City Hall, Osaka) and Korea, guest appearances in the USA, Poland and the Berlin Philharmonie are on the program. In addition, the
Philharmonix will also perform at the Rheingau Music Festival and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival.

After the highly successful CD releases of recent years, the next album will be recorded by Deutsche Grammophon in the 2020/21 season.

Christoph Traxler has worked with leading orchestras and conductors such as Manfred Honeck, Ralf Weikert and Stefan Vladar. Past musical highlights include his projects with Volkhard Steude, Tamás Varga, Michael Barenboim, Thomas Hampson, Michael Schade and Peter Simonischek.

In addition to his international concert activities, Christoph Traxler teaches at the Department of Piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and is active as a lecturer worldwide.