Violin

Originally from Cologne, Germany, the young conductor Werner Ehrhardt is now a frequent guest with orchestras on the international stage. He studied historical performance practice under Sigiswald Keujken in Brussels and conducting under Professor Blömeke in Detmold. His abiding curiosity and keen interest in different ways of approaching music led him to continue intense study with the great teacher Kato Havas in Oxford and with Professor Renate Peter in Cologne. Werner Ehrhardt has already appeared successfully with many international orchestras, including the Staatsoper in Stuttgart and orchestras in Geneva, Luxembourg, Hamburg, and Bern. He has worked with soloists such as Eva Mei, Magdalena Kozena, Barbara Hendriks, Christine Schäfer, Andreas Scholl, Olli Mustoonen, Christine Oelze, and Thomas Zehetmeier. His artistic inquisitiveness, receptiveness to innovations, and infectious enthusiasm when working with orchestras captivates audiences and critics alike. Werner Ehrhardt represents an independent, unmistakable, historically informed interpretation of orchestral and vocal works.

As the artistic director of the world-renowned Concerto Köln chamber orchestra, which he founded in 1985, he developed a characteristic style of interpreting music of the Baroque through early Romanticism. His work with this group and international orchestras has produced more than 40 CDs, which have won numerous international awards. These recordings include several rediscoveries of forgotten composers, whose music now once again inspires listeners everywhere.