Ensemble Concert Royal Köln

Founded in 1987 by the oboist and harpsichordist Karla Schröter; the name of the Ensemble Concert Royal Köln derives from François Couperin’s collection “Concerts Royaux”, in keeping with its initial focus on French baroque music. The ensemble plays on baroque and classical instruments of the 18th century, in chamber music above all as a woodwind ensemble with and without continuo instruments, in individual programmes with viola d’amore, natural horns or natural trumpet, and also in orchestral formations. One focus is formed by first modern revivals of works of the 18th century in chamber, orchestral and oratorio scoring. Guest appearances have taken it, among other places, to Musica Flandrica in Belgium, to the Markgräfliches Opernhaus Bayreuth, to the Rheinisches Musikfest Aachen, to the Deutsches Mozartfest Chemnitz, to the Arolser Barockfestspiele and to the Festival Mitte Europa; the ensemble was honoured with the ECHO Klassik. In 2009 it took part in the Cybele production Gert Jonke: Der Kopf des Georg Friedrich Händel.