Christian Wetzel was born in Bonn, Germany and began to play the oboe at the age of 12. After winning several awards at the national student competition „Jugend Musiziert“, he began his studies with Ingo Goritzki at the Music Conservatory in Hannover.
As a music student, he was for three years the solo oboist of the “European Union Youth Orchestra“ under Claudio Abbado. In 1986, he was founding oboist in the Ma‘alot Wind Quintet, an ensemble that then won the first prize in several international chamber music competitions, including the renowned ARD Competition in Munich in 1989. Ma‘alot have been invited to perform by most German radio stations and, following a tour in the US, they continue appear in concert at festivals around the world.
In 1988, Mr. Wentzel received the position of solo oboist at the Nationaltheater in Mannheim, where he continued to play until 1997 when he then accepted a teaching position at the Music Conservatory in Leipzig and became, at the age of 33, Germany‘s youngest Oboe Professor.