Ensembles in Linz and Upper Austria

Ars Antiqua Austria

http://www.ars-antiqua-austria.com/  (german only)
Austrian baroque music is the focal point in the repertoire of the ensemble. The specific Austrian sound of that era is actually a multicultural sound, as the works performed at the Imperial Court in Vienna, for instance, reflected many musical influences from the crown lands, from the Slavic and the Hungarian, but also elements from French, Italian and Spanish art music.
For Ars Antiqua Austria, the music history treatment of this heritage is equally as important as the practical work of performing concerts all over the world. Many successful reproductions and first performances have come from the rich trove of the edited works – including by composers such as Romanus Weichlien, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Bededikt Anton Aufschnaiter, Johann Joseph Vilsmayr and many others.
The ensemble gives numerous performances at festivals and concerts throughout Europe and has been responsible since Summer 2002 for the stage music of the “Jedermann” production at the Salzburg Festival. The ensemble is conducted by Gunnar Letzbor.

Daius Quintet

The Daius Quintet consists of leading woodwind musicians from the Bruckner Orchestra and expands the conventional repertoire boundaries with works from the 20th century. The quality of the ensemble in terms of sound culture and homogeneity, of dedication and the joy of music conjoins with a thoroughly natural power of arrangement and expression.

Chamber Orchestra Harmonices Mundi

http://members.linzag.net/801032/index.html  (german only)
The name of the ensemble refers to a scientific work by Johannes Kepler that was written in Linz. The ensemble was founded in 1986 by Josef Sabaini. Harmonices Mundi is dedicated to the performance of “great chamber music” including choir parts. The repertoire ranges from early classic to contemporary music, which assumes a special position. The orchestra also enjoys great popularity as the “Phil-Harmonices mundi” in an expanded formation and a program including J. Strauß, J. Lanner, R. Heuberger, F.v. Suppé, G. Rossini and others. Since it was founded, the orchestra has also worked together again and again with international soloists.

L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra Linz

http://www.lorfeo.com/  (german only)
Since it was founded in Fall 1996, the orchestra has played its way into the front row of leading ensembles of “historical performance practice”. Performances at numerous international festivals and continuing collaboration with vocal and instrumental soloists bear witness to this. The orchestra’s repertoire ranges from the suite of French baroque through the symphonies of Sturm und Drang, all the way to the literature of the classical and early romantic periods. In addition to interpretations of the great instrumental and vocal works of the 17th and 18th century, the orchestra is especially devoted to performing works by unjustly forgotten composers, particularly those from the regions of Austria, Bohemia and southern Germany. The ensemble is under the direction of Michi Gaigg.

Oman Consort

http://www.omanconsort.com/  (german only)
The ensemble was founded in 2001 by the Austrian recorder performer Michael Oman and performs primarily baroque music from the 16th to the 18th century from various European countries. Moments of intuition and inspiration flow into the performances as imaginative improvisations. The ensemble performs in varying formations, depending on the program conception. Special attention is devoted to the expanded continuo consort, which gives expression to the musical and stylistic features of baroque recorder music.

Johann Strauß Ensemble

http://www.johannstraussensemble.at/  (german only)
The ensemble was founded in 1985 with the aim of cultivating music by the Strauß family exclusively in concert performances and in keeping with the high quality of the music. The typical Austrian sound and the congenial, sometimes humorous performances of the ensemble have met with enthusiasm all over the world. Notable external sign is that the musicians have remained the same for years. The ensemble has performed all over Europe, has been to Japan three times, and is especially distinguished by its humanitarian efforts, for example for “Neighbor in Need” or the “Dr. Christian Barnard Foundation”.