Who we are

David Guerrier has been playing the trumpet since the age of seven. He received his training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon under Pierre Dutot and at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg under Hans Gansch. David Guerrier has won first prizes at several renowned competitions, including the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and the Maurice André International Trumpet Competition. He began his professional orchestral career in 2004 as principal trumpet of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. David Guerrier also works as a soloist and chamber musician with numerous acclaimed artists and ensembles.

Guillaume Jehl began playing the trumpet at the age of eight in his Alsatian hometown. He studied at the conservatory in Mulhouse and graduated with distinction from the Paris Conservatoire. His first engagements were in 1998 as second trumpet in the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine and in 2000 in the Orchestre National de France. In 2001 Guillaume Jehl was appointed principal trumpet of the Basle Symphony Orchestra, and in 2006 he returned in that position to the Orchestre National de France before joining the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2009. Along with his work in the orchestra, he is active as a soloist and chamber musician and deeply involved in the study of playing Baroque trumpet at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, at which conservatory he also teaches. Additionally, since 2008, he has been perfecting his trumpet playing with coaching from Johann Gansch at the Salzburg Mozarteum University.

Bertold Stecher grew up in South Tyrol, a region with a strong tradition of brass music, to which he felt connected from an early age. The bright sound of the trumpet fascinated him in particular, and so Bertold Stecher began to learn this instrument at the age of ten. Early successes at prestigious competitions encouraged him to study music. He received his training at the Vorarlberger Landeskonservatorium under Lothar Hilbrand and at the Mozarteum University under Hans Gansch. As a member of a number of youth orchestras, Bertold Stecher discovered how much fun it is to play in a symphony orchestra and he decided: “I want to do this forever!” Bertold Stecher began his professional career in 2012 as principal trumpet in the Bolzano Haydn Orchestra and has made guest appearances in principal positions with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Orchestra of La Scala Milan, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, among others. In 2017, he became principal trumpet in the orchestra of Deutsche Oper Berlin, and from there moved to the position of second trumpet with the Berliner Philharmoniker in August 2022. In his free time, the musician enjoys skiing, hiking, sailing and playing tennis.

His primary school teacher was the first to recognize his musical talent. She sent Tamás Velenczei to the music school, where he was only interested in the brass instruments, especially the trumpet – because of its beautiful sound. It was also small and easy to carry – at that time Tamás already hated carrying heavy things. Following studies in Szeged and Budapest, he completed his training through a scholarship to the Sir Georg Solti Foundation in Chicago and in San Diego. He began his orchestral career in 1983 as a member of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. From 1992-98 he was principal trumpet in the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and in March 2000 he came to the Berliner Philharmoniker. He belongs to the Berlin Philharmonic Brass and also appears as a soloist and in various other chamber ensembles. In addition, he teaches in the Philharmonic’s Orchestra Academy and is a professor at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. He regards as his greatest hobby his daughter Dora, his family and everything he can do together with them.

“The horn is for boys”, her schoolteacher told her, and so he suggested that she learn the flute or the oboe. That remark served as a challenge to the US-born Brit, who grew up in Tokyo, Boston, Moscow and England and had her first horn lessons at the age of 14. After studying for three years on the Performer’s Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, she put the finishing touches on her training with Fergus McWilliam in Berlin. From 1999 to 2001 she was a member of the Staatskapelle Berlin and became the first female brass player to be accepted into the ranks of the Berlin Philharmonic in 2001. Sarah Willis has performed with other leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic and has appeared as a soloist in England, Germany, Italy and Asia. She plays in various chamber ensembles including Divertimento Berlin and the Berlin Philharmonic Brass Ensemble and is also involved in Zunkunft@BPhil, the orchestra’s education program. In her free time Sarah enjoys dancing salsa!

Olaf Ott was trained at the Dortmund branch of the Hochschule für Musik of Westphalia-Lippe. In 1985 he joined the Duisburg Symphony Orchestra (and simultaneously the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein) as principal trombone, and between 1989 and 1994 he was principal trombone in the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (now the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester). In 1994 he took up the position of trombonist in the Berliner Philharmoniker, and since 1999 he has been an orchestra principal. Olaf Ott also belongs to the Berlin Philharmonic Brass Ensemble and has played for nearly two decades in the Triton Trombone Quartet, which has won several international prizes.

To move one’s life halfway around the world in the pursuit of musical endeavour is a gamble at best, but one that Trombonist Jonathon Ramsay, born and educated in Sydney, took to heart in 2018 as he left behind his position as Principal Trombone of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra to partake in the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Since making the move to Europe, he has been accepted as member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, was briefly Solo-Trombonist of the Münchner Philharmoniker, and since 2023 is Solo-Trombonist of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Winner of the Second Prize at the ARD International Music Competition 2022 and the First Prize at the 2019 Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments, he is in demand throughout Europe and Australia as a Soloist and Orchestral Musician.

Jesper Busk Sørensen’s first instrument was the euphonium, but he decided to take up the trombone, because he loved its warm, opulent tone and because he was so taken with its versatility as one of the most powerful yet also mellowest instruments of the orchestra. He studied at the Royal Music Academy in Århus. His first professional engagement was in 2002 as second trombone – later becoming first – of the Århus Symfoniorkester. In addition, he undertook further training with Chicago Symphony Orchestra trombonist Michael Mulcahy at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. As a chamber player, Sørensen is a member of the Danske Basunkvartet (Danish Trombone Quartet), which has given the world premiere of several contemporary works. Jesper Busk Sørensen has recorded two solo albums with music by Ole Schmidt and Steingrimur Rohloff together with two of his colleagues from Berlin Philharmonic, Gabor Tarkövi and Stefan Dohr and also tubist Jens Bjørn-Larsen. Both albums on Dacapo Records.  Since 2015 Jesper Busk Sørensen is Honorary Professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.

Stefan Schulz was born in Berlin and studied in Berlin and Chicago. From 1993 to 2002 he was Bass Trombonist of the Staatskapelle Berlin and also performed in the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra. Since 2002 he has been Bass Trombonist of the Berlin Philharmonic and, since 2004, Professor of Trombone at the Berlin University of the Arts. From 2010 to 2024 he also served as Guest Professor at Musikene in San Sebastián, Spain. He is a co-founder of philBONES, whose next CD release is scheduled for 2025. Together with Joseph Alessi, Michel Becquet and Jörgen van Rijen he founded the World Trombone Quartet, whose album Just for Fun was released on the ARCANTUS label. He enjoys a special artistic collaboration with Daniel Schnyder, by whom he has premiered and recorded numerous works for BIS Records and the jazz label ENJA Records. The most recent production by Stefan Schulz, “Passion Project”, is available exclusively as a CD. He lives in Berlin and also works as a certified Business Mental Coach. In his free time, he enjoys sailing, hiking, cooking and reading.

Actually Alexander von Puttkamer wanted to learn the trumpet, but there were no more places for that instrument available at his local music school. A friend of the family and aspiring tuba player handed him a small tuba. Alexander von Puttkamer got on well with the instrument at once, and he stuck with it. His first ensemble experience came in various youth orchestras, including the Bundesjugendorchester (German national youth orchestra), the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and the European Union Youth Orchestra. After completing his studies with Walter Hilgers at the Hamburg Hochschule für Musik und Theater, he became a member in 1996 of Hamburg’s NDR Symphony Orchestra. Further stepping stones on his path to the Berliner Philharmoniker included the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra (1998-2004) and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (2004-07) in Munich. Alexander von Puttkamer, also a regular member of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra since 1999, plays golf, is interested in wine and art and enjoys visiting museums, insofar as his daughters allow him the time…