The Ensemble Wien-Berlin was founded in 1983 as a wind quintet with many exceptional qualities. Five soloists from Vienna and Berlin, primarily principal players with the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, decided to put their joint chamber music activities on a firm footing.
The group quickly achieved a tonal and musical homogeneity resulting from combination of five soloists, each contributing his own stimulus and musical ideas to the development of a rich and vital whole. Over the years, with the wind quintal as nucious, the ensemble has regularly cooperated with other musicians, especially outstanding string-players and pianists, but also for works such as Debussy’s Chansons deBilitis with famous film stars like Catherine Deneuve, extending their chamber-music repertoire to include a wide and interesting range. This is documented by same twenty CD productions with SONY Classical and DGG as well UNITEL video with James Levine as pianist.
Since their very first start, they always have been enthusiastically acclaimed at all major international festivals and have became regular guests throughout the most important concert-halls in the world. To celebrate their tenth anniversary, a 60-minute portrait entitled “We have a lot of fun” was made by the firm Euroarts for TV and as a video-cassette.
In spring 1999, there has been a major change within the Ensemble. The former clarinet and horn players have been replaced by the actual principal leaders for clarinet and horn of both the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics. The repertoire shall increasingly reflect 20th century music, with a stronger focus on contemporary works. Their programme will also be given a more thematic emphasis.
The new formation of the Ensemble Wien-Berlin has been performing with the greatest musical on public success at the 1999 Salzburg Festival with the pianist Maurizio Pollini. This successful and fruitful cooperation with the Maestro has been followed by series of concerts in Europe and at the Carnegie Hall in New York. In the season 2002/2003 this deeply harmonious cooperation will be continued throughout a concert tour in Asia.
During the last years, the ensemble has been invited to the most prestigious festivals all around the world, such as Salzburg Festspiele, Maggio Musicale Florence, Lucerne Festival, Stresci Festival, Rovereto W. A. Mozart Festival, Sapporo Festival and many others and to all major concert halls in Europe, the United States, Japan etc. 2003 will be the Ensemble’s 20th birthday, which is going to celebrated in many festivals and concert-halls. In the course of these celebrations, the Ensemble Wien Berlin will be invited as “Artists in Residence” both as soloists and as chamber musicians in Zurich, Salzburg and Japan and Milan.

Wolfgang Schulz - flute,
Hansjörg Schellenberger - oboe,
Norbert Täubl - clarinet,
Milan Turkovic - basson,
Stefan Dohr - horn