Kai Frömbgen was born in Koblenz in 1977. After winning three first national prizes in the "Jugend musiziert" competition, he studied with Prof. Christian Wetzel at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig.
During his studies, he was a member of the EUYO and took up his first position in Ludwigshafen in 1999 before joining the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra as principal oboist in 2003. He was principal oboist of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under the direction of Claudio Abbado for several years and became a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in 2012, where he worked with Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Yannick Nézét-Seguin, among others.
As a soloist and chamber music partner, he has performed with Frank Peter Zimmermann, Isabelle Faust, Christoph Eschenbach and the Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble, among others. In 2013, he took up the position of Professor of Oboe at the University of Music in Saarbrücken, and a year later he moved to the same position at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf.
He has been teaching at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media since 2018.
In addition to chamber music activities, including as a member of the Linos Ensemble, Kai Frömbgen is also active as a soloist and was "Artist in Residence" with the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2022/23 season.

Ricardo Lopes has been principal oboist of the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years. He performs regularly as a soloist with many of Portugal's leading orchestras, playing works by composers such as Mozart, Martinů, Haydn, Donizetti, Jorge Peixinho, Bruno Maderna and others.
He has been teaching at the Porto University of Music and Performing Arts since 1995 and has developed a teaching project that is now widely recognized.
He is regularly invited to give master classes throughout the country and to some of the most prestigious oboe classes in Germany.
Ricardo Lopes frequently performs in recitals and chamber music repertoire and has performed in Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Macau and Japan.
Ricardo Lopes holds a Master's degree in Music Performance and is currently pursuing a PhD in Musicology at the NOVA University of Lisbon.

Viola Wilmsen has been principal oboist of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) since 2012. Prior to this, she was principal oboist at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for three years. She is also in demand worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2022, she was appointed professor at the Hanns Eisler School of Music.
As a soloist, she has performed with the DSO, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock, the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Haydn Orchestra (Italy) and the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra (Japan), among others. She has performed as a soloist several times at the Berlin Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus Berlin and at numerous festivals.
In 2014, the CD of her sextet "Berlin Counterpoint" was released, which received the "Usedomer Musikpreis". She won the "Echo Klassik" award with the "Berolina Ensemble" in 2014. In 2017, she released a critically acclaimed CD of 20th century works for oboe and piano, published by CAvi-Music.
Guest engagements regularly take her to orchestras such as the Berlin and Munich Philharmonic Orchestras, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and the Berlin, Munich and Dresden State Operas as solo oboist. She has worked with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Sir Simon Rattle, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta and Andris Nelsons.

Viola Wilmsen studied oboe with Diethelm Jonas and Dominik Wollenweber as well as with Jacques Tys in Paris.
In 2009, she won first prize at the international Sony Oboe Competition in Japan. This was the first time in the competition's 30-year history that the prize went to a woman and to Germany. She has won further first prizes at international competitions in Germany, Italy, Poland and England as an oboist and pianist.
Viola Wilmsen has been a lecturer for oboe at the Lübeck University of Music since 2015. She gives masterclasses in Germany and abroad and is a jury member at international competitions.

Jean-Louis Capezzali was born in Saint-Étienne and began piano lessons at the age of 9. He discovered the oboe at the age of 14 when he heard a recording of Vivaldi concertos performed by Pierre Pierlot. After a year of lessons at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, he entered the "classes à horaires aménagés musique" (CHAM) at the CNR in Versailles, where he studied oboe with Gaston Longatte. He won the gold medal and the honorary prize and obtained the Certificat d'aptitude (CA) as an oboe teacher.
In 1979, at the age of 20, he was appointed first solo oboist of the Concerts Lamoureux.
In 1984, he became the first solo oboe in the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. He also won prizes at the international competitions in Geneva (1982) and Prague (1986).
After working as an assistant in Maurice Bourgue's class at the CNSM in Paris in 1988, he replaced him as a full professor when the latter moved to the conservatory in Geneva.
He has been teaching at the CNSM Lyon since 1998, where he is also responsible for the woodwind department. He is also professor of oboe at the Haute Ecole de Musique of the Conservatoire de Lausanne.

He holds annual training courses in instrumental practice and chamber music at the École Britten, Institut Supérieur de Musique de Périgueux, and trains the future generation of oboists at international academies such as Telč in the Czech Republic, Musicalp in Courchevel and the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades. Parallel to these activities, he pursues a career as a chamber musician and soloist, which has led him to perform with the biggest orchestras: Orchestre national Bordeaux Aquitaine, Ensemble orchestral de Paris, Orchestre de chambre de Toulouse... He is regularly invited to give concerts and master classes in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Scandinavia, Russia, Germany, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic and the USA, where he represents the French wind school.

Source: BuffetCrampon website

Christian Schmitt studied at the Conservatoire Supérieur in Lyon and at the Musikhochschule in Karlsruhe, graduating with top honors. During his professional career, he has continued to perfect his skills with great masters such as Thomas Indermühle, Maurice Bourgue, Paul Dombrecht and Heinz Holliger. In 1992 he was awarded the first prize of the European Cultural Foundation (Freiburg). He continued his artistic career with the Basel Symphony Orchestra. Here he was 1st solo oboist for over 20 years. In 2012, he left the orchestra, as in the meantime (since 2008) he had taken over the professorship of the oboe class at the State Academy of Music in Stuttgart as successor to Ingo Goritzki. In recent years he has been teaching at the Académie Supérieure Strasbourg and as a guest at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.

As Christian Schmitt is constantly involved in the further development of his instrument, numerous works have been dedicated to him by very different composers: by the French Vincent Paulet and Laurent Riou, the Italians Jacopo Baboni Schilingi and Nicola Sani, as well as the Germans Hans Tutschku and Dirk Michael Kirsch. All of these works have been premiered in recent years, including at the Maison de Radio France, in the Concert Hall of Birmingham, at festivals in Compiègne, at the " Nuits Bleues d'Arc et Senans and at the "IDRS Festival 2017". Christian Schmitt has performed as a soloist under the baton of renowned conductors such as Nello Santi, Armin Jordan, Marcello Viotti, Heinz Holliger, Walter Weller... He has also recorded for Swiss Radio DRS, Radio Suisse Romande, Italian Radio RSI, Radio France-Musique and Südwestrundfunk, SWR2... various recordings have been made in collaboration with the pianist Alessandra Gentile and the CD company "Stradivarius".

Christian Schmitt has been invited to numerous recitals and master classes throughout Europe (Germany, Spain, France, Italy, England, Romania) as well as to universities in the USA (Columbia-New York, Austin-Texas, Chicago, Detroit-Michigan), South Korea (Seoul), China (Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong), Japan (Tokyo), Sochie (Russia). He was a jury member at the Gillet-Fox International Competition in Ithaca New York, Birmingham and Chicago as well as Muri (Switzerland), Petritoli (Italy) and at the prestigious ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Henning Wiegräbe is professor of trombone at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart.
Before accepting the call to the HMDK Stuttgart in 2006, he supervised the trombone classes at the conservatories in Saarbrücken and Basel. He gives master classes worldwide, from Paris and Moscow to South Africa and China.
After studying trombone in Hamburg and Karlsruhe, he studied early music in Trossingen and Basel, working with composers, jazz and crossover musicians. Already during his time as solo trombonist of the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Henning Wiegräbe devotes himself more and more to early music, chamber music and solo playing. He founded the Capricornus Ensemble Stuttgart in Stuttgart and regularly performs with leading early music ensembles at the most important European music festivals. He performs worldwide with chamber music partners such as Daniel Schnyder, the Mandelring Quartet and the Vogler Quartet. As a soloist, Henning Wiegräbe works with orchestras such as the Bundesjugendorchester, the Dortmund Philharmonic and the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn.
When accompanying his students, Henning Wiegräbe's fundamental goal is a well-founded diversity of training. Graduates of his class play with top international orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic or various radio orchestras, lead trombone classes at conservatories from Gothenburg to Leipzig to Beijing, give concerts with renowned original sound ensembles and big bands, teach at music schools and are prize winners at international competitions.

The Swedish-Swiss trombonist Louise Pollock has been Professor of Trombone at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin since the winter semester 2023/24. She was principal trombonist at the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden from 2015 to 2023 and also taught the trombone class at the University of Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama. Prior to this, she was a member of the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra for three years. She has performed as a soloist with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, the Bjergsted Blåsensemble, the Gothenburg Opera and the Duisburg Philharmonic, among others.

She has won numerous prizes at national and international competitions, was a scholarship holder of the 2014 German Music Competition of the German Music Council and was awarded 1st prize and audience prize at the International Aeolus Wind Competition in Düsseldorf in 2016.

She is asked to be a jury member at international competitions and is invited to give masterclasses and teach at festivals such as Brassweek Samedan in Switzerland, Tourbon Brass Festival in Chile, Tromboholizm Trombone Music Festival in Poznan and Corno Brass Music Festival Zielona Gora in Poland, the Norwegian Bjergsted Brass Festival Stavanger, the Low Brass Network and the International Trombone Festival in the USA. In 2023, she was elected 1st Chairwoman of the International Trombone Association e.V. and to the Board of Advisors of the International Trombone Association.

Louise Pollock grew up in Switzerland and graduated from the Mathematisch-Wissenschaftliches Gymnasium Zurich at the top of her year. She completed her Bachelor's degree with Prof Branimir Slokar at the University of Music in Freiburg i. Br. and went on to complete her Master's degree with Prof Henning Wiegräbe at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. She is a Conn Artist and plays exclusively on a Conn 88H, which was built in the early 1950s.

Ko-ichiro Yamamoto, one of the foremost Japanese trombonists of his generation, is the principal trombonist of the Seattle Symphony and the newest member of the Center City Brass Quintet. He was formerly a trombonist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City for 10 seasons, and also co-principal trombonist of the All-Star Orchestra.

Active as a soloist, recitalist, chamber music performer, and clinician, Yamamoto has performed with a wide variety of ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Chamber Orchestra, and as guest solo principal trombonist of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo. Yamamoto has also been guest soloist with orchestras including the Osaka Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic Tokyo, Kosei Wind Orchestra Tokyo, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band (OMSB), U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own), Eastern Music Festival, Taipei Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds of Singapore, and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.  

Yamamoto is an active recording artist and has performed on numerous TV and movie recordings in New York and Tokyo. He is a frequent invitee to give recitals and master classes throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. In 2019, Yamamoto was a guest artist and faculty member at the Southeast Trombone Symposium and Vancouver Trombone Week. He has also appeared as featured soloist at the American Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC, and the International Trombone Festival; as guest artist and faculty member for the Asian Trombone Seminar in Taiwan, Curuso Internacional Semena Musical de Salseda in Spain, the Eastern Music Festival, and the Hamamatsu Music Academy and Festival in Japan. As a clinician, he has given master classes at numerous colleges both in the United States and Asia, including the Eastman School of Music.

Yamamoto has won numerous awards, prizes, and scholarships in Japan and abroad, including fourth place in the International Trombone Association Competition in Australia, first grand prize of the Japan Wind and Percussion Competition, and the diploma prize at the Prague International Music Competition.

Born in Tokyo, Mr. Yamamoto began studying trombone at age 12 with his father, Tatsuo Yamamoto, and Mr. Yoshiki Hakoyama. After studying at Tokyo College of Music Senior High School, he was accepted at the Franz Liszt Music Academy as a student of Gusztav Hoena and Sztan Tivador. While at the academy, he joined the trombone section of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He subsequently studied at The Juilliard School with Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic.

Yamamoto is a S.E. Shires performing artist and clinician. His discography includes “Proof,” “Family Tree” (Kosei Publishing), “Trombone Concerto,” and “Ballade” (Octavia Recordings). His newly released book “Ko-herent Warmup Drills and Routines for Trombone— The Ko-rrect Way to Start Each Day” is available at Art of Sound Music. In 2022, Mr. Yamamoto will be the soloist to perform Tan Dun Trombone Concerto (US premiere) with the Seattle Symphony. 

After organist degree from Stockholm he studied trombone with Palmer Traulsen in Copenhagen, with Denis Wick at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama an London, and with Jay Friedman in Chicago. He was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Including studies with Arnold Jacobs.
1971 he became principal trombone at the Norwegian Opera in Oslo. 1978 principal trombone with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, National Orchetra of Sweden.
After 45 years of service in teaching he is Professor Emeritus from the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo and from 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 Assiciation (ITA) festivals numeroud 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”.
In international trombone competitions he has been a member of jury in Grenchen, Porcia 5 times, Toulon and Markneukirchen.
Appart from guest teaching at seminars, courses and giving classes, also coaching youth orchestras as well as professional ensembles and sections in ensmble playing techniques and in concerts.