Beginning her musical studies at the ‘Sociedad Musical de Alboraya’ in her hometown, with Gabriel Diago as a horn teacher, she then moved to the Conservatorio Superior de Música ‘Joaquín Rodrigo’ in Valencia where she got her degree under J. Rosell, with the highest marks and a ‘Premio de Honor’.

After graduating she moved to Germany to the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg i.B. to study with Bruno Schneider, where she got her postgraduate degree with the highest marks. While she was in Germany she won a scholarship from the ‘Alexander von Humboldt’ Foundation and another one from the Valencian Community government. Maria was also selected to represent the College at The Mendelssohn Competition where she won the Förderung Prize.

Back in Spain, she further developed her knowledge and skills on natural and modern horn with Javier Bonet. 

She has won several competition awards in Spain and internationally, such as Mendelssohn Hochschulwettbewerb in Berlin, and ‘Città di Porcia’.

Maria plays often as a soloist and gives masterclasses in Spain and abroad, such as in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, at Youth Orchestra of Spain (JONDE) and at the Youth orchestra of Valencia (JORVAL) among others. She is also a member of ‘Quintet Cuesta’ and ‘Dreisam Ensemble’.

With regard to her orchestral career, she has been invited as a solo horn player on several programmes with Berliner Philharmoniker and has often played in many orchestras in Spain like Orquestra Ciutat de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, Orquestra de Cadaqués.

Currently she has released her first solo CD “Se hace saber”, some of the pieces included are written for Maria.

In 2000 she joined the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid (Teatro Real) and in 2002 she was appointed principal horn at the Orquesta de València.

Esa Tapani (1968) began playing the horn at the Lappeenranta music school in 1979. He then studied at the Helsinki Conservatory and the Sibelius-Academy passing his examination with highest marks. Tapani’s teachers include Leena Heikkilä, Timo Ronkainen, Michael Hoeltzel, Dale Clevenger and Hermann Baumann. In the years 1990-92 Tapani played in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and 1992-95 in the Symphony Orchestra of the Swedish Radio. From 1995-2007 he was engaged in the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Tapani has also played since 1986 in Avanti! Chamber Orchestra specializing in modern music. From 2007 Esa Tapani is professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main.

Esa Tapani was awarded the first prize in the Nordic horn competition 1989. There after he has been active as chamber musician and soloist. The repertoire of Tapani consists of the core of the horn music library and he is especially interested in music of our time. Tapani has been in close cooperation with several Finnish composers. In the view of Tapani such collaboration brings new works closer to the interpreter. A living discussion between composer and performer has an important role in the artist’s person of Esa Tapani. Tapani plays also period instruments like natural horn and baroque horn. The possibility to play with an instrument of the composer’s period brings the performer closer to the sound world of the composer. According to Tapani, the starting point for musical interpretation is, however, the personality of the performer. Mere authenticity or meticulous execution of the composer’s intentions does not suffice to create a living performance.

Since the beginning of her career, Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth has championed the trumpet repertoire amongst audiences on all six continents, meriting the highest critical praise for her soulful, lyrical sound and collaborative approach to music-making. An artist who challenges the boundaries of genre with an intensely creative, open-minded philosophy, Tine’s ever-expanding repertoire ranges from the classical period to contemporary works and new commissions.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work in classical music, including “Newcomer of the Year” at the 2013 Echo Klassik Awards, the 2009 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, and second prize in the 2006 Eurovision Young Musicians Competition, to which Tine returned to serve as juror for the 2016 competition. In 2007, Tine had the rare honour of being the first ever classical artist to win Newcomer of the Year at the Norwegian Grammy® Awards (Spellemannprisen).

Tine has worked with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne, Tonkünstler-Orchester Vienna, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra at the BBC Proms, Warsaw, Rotterdam, Oslo, Bergen and Helsinki Philharmonic orchestras, Danish Radio and Swedish Radio Symphony orchestras, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Baltimore and Cincinnati Symphony orchestras, Singapore Symphony, KBS Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic. She also enjoys collaborating with a number of chamber orchestras, namely the Norwegian Chamber, Zurich Chamber and Munich Chamber orchestras, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and as well as the Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne, Mozarteum Salzburg, and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Tine continues to embark on regular tours with her ten-piece, all-female brass ensemble tenThing. An idea which started in 2007 as a fun and exciting project to pursue with her closest musical friends, the group have gone on to play to numerous audiences across Europe, USA and China. Past festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Schleswig-Holstein, Beethoven Bonn, Gstaad, MDR Musiksommer, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau, Merano, Thüringer Bachwochen, and Bremen. This season sees tenThing return to Germany.

Tine resides in Oslo and maintains an active role in her community as a regular TV and radio presenter, and teaches trumpet at the Norwegian Academy of Music. An all-round musician, she also regularly performs in some of the most iconic jazz bars in Norway. In June 2013, Tine launched her own project, Tine@Munch, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Munch, featuring a variety of performances and guest artists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Nicola Benedetti, and Truls Mork. Since 2019, she is a member of Artistic Board at Risør Chamber Music Festival.

Photo: Anna Julia Granberg

Ingemar Roos began a rich career in music with a degree in organ from Stockholm, followed by studying with trombone teachers such as Palmer Traulsen in Copenhagen, Denis Wick at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, and Jay Friedman in Chicago. As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he also studied with Arnold Jacobs.

He has served as principal trombonist at the Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and at the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Sweden.

After a distinguished 45-year career in teaching, Ingemar Roos is now Professor Emeritus at the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo and the Gothenburg University School of Music. He has more than 80 former students in professional jobs after winning auditions.

Ingemar Roos has served on the International Trombone Association (ITA) festivals numerous times on the faculty as soloist, clinician, lecturer, and conductor. At the year 2000 ITA Festival he received the Neill Humfeld Award for “Excellence in Trombone Teaching”. Additionally, he has also served as a jury member at competitions in Grenchen, Porcia 4 times, Toulon, and Markneukirchen.

Apart from guest teaching at seminars, courses, and giving classes, Ingemar also coaches youth orchestras as well as professional ensembles and orchestra sections in ensemble playing techniques and in concerts.

Louise Pollock is Professor for Trombone at Berlin´s Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler since 2023. Previously, she was principal trombonist at the Gothenburg Opera/Sweden from 2015 to 2023 and in parallel led the trombone class at the University of Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama. Prior to that, she was engaged by the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra for three years. She has performed as a soloist with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Bjergsted Blåsensemble, the Gothenburg Opera, Theater für Niedersachsen Philharmonie, and the Duisburg Philharmonic, among others.

She has been awarded numerous prizes at national and international competitions, won the stipend of the 2014 German Music Competition and received both the 1st Prize and the Audience Award at the International Aeolus Wind Instrument Competition in 2016.

As a jury member she is requested for international competitions, for example International Instrument Competition in Markneukirchen or the International Trombone Competition of the International Trombone Association. She is regularly invited as a soloist and guest professor to masterclasses and festivals. Some examples are: Brassweek Samedan in Switzerland, Tourbon Brass Festival in Chile, Tromboholizm Trombone Music Festival in Poznan and Corno Brass Music Festival Zielona Gora in Poland, to the Norwegian Bjergsted Brass Festival Stavanger, VeronaBones in Italy, Galaico Brass Festival in Spain, the Low Brass Network and the International Trombone Festival in the USA. In 2023 she was elected as President of the German Internationale Posaunenvereinigung e.V. as well as to the “Board of Advisors” of the International Trombone Association.

Her students won permanent positions, contracts and academy positions, for example in Orchestra Ciudad de Melilla/Spain, Sinfonieorchester Osnabrück, Opera Copenhagen or the Staatskapelle Halle.

Louise Pollock grew up in Switzerland and graduated as the best student of the year from the Mathematisch-Wissenschaftliches Gymnasium Zurich. She completed her Bachelor’s studies with Prof. Branimir Slokar at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg i. Br., and continued her Master’s studies with Prof. Henning Wiegräbe at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart. She is a Conn Artist and plays exclusively on a Conn 88H built in the early 1950s.

Photo credit: Philippe Stier