Thaous Ensemble
Thaous Ensemble ~ Wind Instrument Ensemble
The 18th century saw the composition of numerous pieces for wind instrument octets. In the Classical era, what was then known as 'Harmoniemusik' was composed especially for them. The Thaous Ensemble ('thaous' is Egyptian for peacock) has dedicated itself to this tradition. The ensemble is a wind octet in the truly classic sense, with two pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons and horns, and some of the musicians have been playing together since their early youth. They were either members of Baden-Württenberg's Young Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra or they got to know each other when they were students. In the meantime, they are all soloists in prestigious orchestras, or professors and lecturers at various cultural institutions at home or abroad - the Frankfurt or the Würzburg Universities of Music and Performing Arts, for instance. Or the Hamburg State Opera, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Zurich Opera House or the Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Every single member of the Ensemble has won important prizes at national and international competitions. Some of them have held scholarships from the German President or from the German "Studienstiftung" and work regularly with top ensembles like the "Ensemble Modern". But more than anything else, the hallmark of the Thaous Ensemble is adaptability, because - depending on what is called for - the regular musicians in this classic wind octet will open their ranks to include soloists from elsewhere - from Hesse Public Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, the Frankfurt Opera and the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
