Lecturers
Wind Instruments
Giovanni Battista Graziadio finished his recorder studies with honours in 2007 at the Department of Ancient Music of the Conservatory of Music of Cosenza “S.Giacomantonio”. He went on further to complete a specialised Master’s degree and a Pedagogical degree in historical bassoon performance and music education at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Giovanni has also studied at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste and the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan. He also holds a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Calabria, specializing in bio-pathology.
Giovanni is a founding member of “The Italian Consort”, “La Petite Écurie Oboe Band”, and the ensemble “Abchordis” with which he performs all over Europe as bassoonist and flutist, and with which he has won various competitions. He performs concerts, also as a soloist, with the most famous European ensembles and orchestras and has recorded more than 30 CDs for various international labels together with different ensembles. As an external expert teacher he has taught early music, recorder, and historical bassoon in workshops at state schools and private academies. He currently teaches baroque bassoon at the Conservatorio di Musica “Luca Marenzio” in Brescia. He works as a researcher at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis FHNW, and at the University of Basel he is doing a PhD on “Use and Pedagogy of the Bassoon in Naples between the 17th and 18th centuries”.
Contact: ggraziadio@hfk-bremen.de
An alumnus of the Université de Montréal, McGill University, the Royal Conservatoire The Hague and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Maximilien Brisson is a leading specialist of historical trombones. A member of I Fedeli and ¡Sacabuche!, he has performed with the Freiburger Barockorchester, Akamus, Collegium Vocale Gent, Les Cornets Noirs, I Gemelli, The Toronto Consort and the Zürich Opera, among others. He is a founding member of Le Consort laurentien and canticum tombonorum, and recorded his first solo album in 2023.
An accomplished leader, Maximilien received critical acclaim for his 2013 interpretation of Mahler’s Sixth symphony: “What he heard is comparable to the best Mahler there is, both live and on disc. […] This reviewer even had tears in his eyes. Because this Mahler’s Sixth […] was rendered in its full and terrifying dimension by this astonishing young conductor” (La Presse). He is Artistic Director of the Viadana Collective.
Contact: mbrisson@hfk-bremen.de
Josué Meléndez began his musical studies with trombone in Costa Rica at the Conservatorio Castella. From 1991-1995 he studied at the Escuela Nacional de Música, University of Mexico and founded the first Early Music Festival of Mexico; Festival Santo Domingo de Música Antigua, where he conducted L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi and many other projects. In 1997 Josué moved to The Hague where he completed two recorder diplomas at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, including one with distinction for New Music. From 2002 to 2006 he studied cornett at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Bruce Dickey. Since that time he has worked as a zinkenist and recorder player worldwide in concerts and CD recordings with renowned early music ensembles such as Concerto Palatino, La Fenice, Les Cornets Noirs, Musica Fiata, Oltremontano, Nederlandse Bach Vereniging, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, Academy of Ancient Music and with famous conductors such as Ton Kopman, Jordi Saval, Gabriel Garrido, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Claudio Cavina, Philippe Herreweghe, Paul van Nevel, Thomas Hengelbrock, Sigiswald Kuijken, etc.
The ensemble I Fedeli, which he founded, won the first prize at the “International Artist Presentation” in Antwerp and has realized two CD productions: Johann Rosenmüller – “Lo Zuane Tedesco” for PanClassics and “Tarasconi Codex Diminuito” for Passacaille.
Josué Meléndez is a specialist in baroque improvisation and teaches cornett and diminution at the HfMDK Frankfurt and the HfM Bremen, and has given workshops on ornamentation and diminution at various universities and institutions such as the Udk Berlin, the HMF Freiburg, the UNAM Mexico, the Norwegian Brass Ensemble and the Academy of Urbino, among others. In the academic field he has written several articles on musical ornamentation.
Contact: jmelendezpelaez@hfk-bremen.de
Georg Fritz received his musical education studying the oboe and recorder in Salzburg, Linz, Amsterdam and Bremen. Specializing in baroque, classical, and romantic oboes, Georg has performed throughout Europe, as well as in Israel, Turkey, South-Africa, the U.S., and China in collaboration with renowned ensembles such as the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Gaechinger Cantorey, OH!, Collegium 1704, Camerata Bern, Les Talens Lyriques, and Le Cercle de l’Harmonie.
Through his ensemble Amsterdam Historical Winds, he explores repertoire for baroque oboe band and classical wind ensemble. Georg is also a founding member of Ensemble Odyssee, which has performed frequently across Europe as well as recorded several CDs – among them an album of oboe concertos by Robert Woodcock – for the PanClassics and Glossa labels.
Alongside his career as a performer Georg also engages in researching and building copies of historical oboes & recorders in his own workshop. He is a lecturer at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz (AT) and teaches historical oboe at the University of the Arts Bremen (DE).
Contact: gfritz@hfk-bremen.de
Georges Barthel started his musical studies at the age of 8. After graduating the Conservatoire National de Région in Strasbourg for both the modern and the baroque flutes, he decided to focus on historical performance practice and entered the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, were he studied the early flutes – from renaissance to romantic – with Barthold Kuijken and his assistants Frank Theuns and Marc Hantai. In 2002 he was awarded the prize of the audience at the international competition “Musica Antiqua” in Bruges, Belgium. Two years later he successfully completed his studies at the conservatory.
Since then, he has been playing in major festivals and concert halls worldwide as member of several ensembles such as Orchestre des Champs-Elysées (Philippe Herreweghe), La Petite Bande (Sigiswald Kuijken), Anima Eterna (Jos van Immerseel), Ricercar Consort (Philippe Pierlot), Les Talens Lyriques (Christophe Rousset), Gaechinger Cantorey (Hans-Christoph Rademann), Orkiestra Historyczna (Martyna Pastuszka), Collegium 1704 (Václav Luks) or Australian Chamber Orchestra (Richard Tognetti).
Georges Barthel teaches early flutes at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main since 2019 and at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen since 2022.
Kontakt: gbarthel@hfk-bremen.de
Mirjam-Luise Münzel studied recorder, baroque cello and viola da gamba in Bremen, Seville, London and Berlin. She was the winner of the Biagio Marini competition Neuburg, finalist of the Concours internationales des journees musiques anciennes Paris and won the 3rd prize at the international Moeck/SRP solo recorder competition in London. Mirjam was one of the Handel House Young Artists and her group Lux Musicae London has been selected for the Brighton Early Music Festival scheme, was part of the International Young Artist Presentation Antwerp 2018, has been ensemble in residence at Stroud Green Festival London 2019, and performed live at BBC 3 in Tune. Performances took her to the Palace of Versailles, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall, English National Opera, London Festival of Baroque Music, Bach Biennale Weimar, Trigonale Austria, Kölner Philharmonie, Thomaskirche Leipzig with Gewandhausorchester soloists, Palace of the Grand Dukes Vilnius, among others. Together with her trio Les Salonnières, she co-directs the Alte Musik Fest Friedenau (Berlin). Mirjam teaches recorder at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and at international masterclasses.
Contact: mirjam.luise@gmail.com
Dr Susan Williams is one of the world’s most well known specialists in baroque trumpet and over the last 30 years has performed and recorded with many of Europe’s finest early music ensembles as soloist, chamber musician and in orchestral projects. She has also initiated and realised many of her own artistic projects involving natural trumpets. She teaches at The Royal Conservatorium of The Hague and at the University of the Arts in Bremen.
In addition to teaching natural trumpet and leading ensemble projects and workshops Susan has been giving regular courses in practicing and performance preparation for over ten years. Susan is actively involved in curriculum development in the area of training practicing both in The Hague and in Bremen. She teaches in staff development programs in The Netherlands, Belgium and Austria and for the Netzwerk Musikhochschulen of Germany. She has carried outresearch on the topics of attentional focus and musical imagery, as well as self-regulated learning for musicians.
Susan’s book Quality Practice has enjoyed wide popularity amongst musicians and teachers. In 2020 she developed NOTES: a Musician’s Reflective Journal.
Contact: s.williams@hfk-bremen.de
A native of the Aosta Valley region in Italy, Alessandro Denabian has studied modern horn under the guidance of Dale Clevenger and Rex Martin, and natural horn with Thomas Müller and Claude Maury.
Alessandro appears regularly as principal horn with some of the best orchestras and ensembles playing on period instruments: La Petite Bande, I Barocchisti, Concerto Köln, Les Musiciens du Louvre, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Abchordis and the Venice Baroque Orchestra among others.
Over the past years he has been involved with many different chamber music projects: in 2017 Alessandro has released Paris 1804, his first album for natural horn and strings, followed in 2018 by Péchés d’opéra for Natural horn, voice and Fortepiano.
Alongside his performing end teaching activities, Alessandro, is also a maker of reproductions of historical horns.
He teaches Natural horn at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen since 2023.
Contact: adenabian@hfk-bremen.de
String Instruments
The Baroque Violinist Mechthild Karkow is one of the most versatile specialists in the field of Historical Performance Practice. Her repertoire ranges from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th. The examination of historical sources, the use of instruments and techniques appropriate to them are for her, self explanatory.
Mechthild Karkow has won prizes at international competitions, made many recordings and has performed internationally as a soloist, concert master and as a chamber musician. In addition to her work with musicians such as Christoph Coin and Andrea Marcon, she has appeared as soloist and artistic director with the Freiburger Barockorchester.
In 2013 she took up the academic post of Professor of Baroque Violin at the Hochschule Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Leipzig, and also taught at the the Hochschule in Frankfurt am Main. In 2020 Mechthild Karkow was appointed as Professor of Baroque Violin at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.
Contact: mkarkow@hfk-bremen.de
Musician, gamba-player, has played music as long as she can think.
She travels the world, playing concerts and recording CDs with different groups or soloizing, mostly in the field of 17th and 18th century music but also letting the music take her to places she never even dreamed of.
When she is not traveling she lives in a farmhouse in northern Germany with her family and a few chickens, horses, cats and rabbits.
She passionately teaches her students at the University of the Arts in Bremen, Germany, everything she knows about music, playing the gamba, and how not to be jealous if someone plays better than you.
People of the world: relax…
Contact: h.perl@hfk-bremen.de
Contact: 
Veronika Skuplik studied at the Hochschule in Essen, the Universität Münster and the Akademie für Alte Musik Bremen. Internationally sought after, Veronika Skuplik plays mainly in ensembles such as Concerto Palatino, Weser-Renaissance, L’Arpeggiata, Collegium Vocale Gent, Freiburger BarockConsort. Her own Ensembles are La Dolcezza and UrgentMusic.
One of her favoured repertoires is the music of the 17th century with it’s closeness to singing, wealth of affects, and freedom for experimentation.
Veronika Skuplik’s discography comprises of over 100 cd’s. The Project VIOLINO II, a recording of anonymous Austrian sonatas for violin and basso continuo, will be released in early 2021. Together with her ensemble UrgentMusic she is currently producing another recording Umbra-Ambra, with Radio Bremen.
Veronika Skuplik is a lecturer in Baroque Violin at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen. She also leads masterclasses and orchestra projects in Hamburg, Kattowitz and at Carnegie Hall.
Contact: v.skuplik@hfk-bremen.de
Keyboard Instruments and Accompaniment
Krzysztof Urbaniak is since 2024 professor for historic organ at the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen. To his earlier positions belong the professorship of organ at the Music Academy in Łódź (Poland), where he has been working since 2009. He is also lecturer at the organ department of the Music Academy in Kraków (Poland), where he has been active since 2013.
He received his organ and harpsichord education at the Stattliche Musikhochschule in Stuttgart and at the Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw (Master, KA, Konzertexamen) in the classes of Józef Serafin, Ludger Lohmann, Jörg Halubek and Leszęk Kędracki. In 2012 the received his PhD in Kraków.
Krzysztof Urbaniak received numerous prizes at organ competitions:
– 1st prize – Arp-Schnitger-Orgelwettbewerb (Bremen, 2010),
– 1st prize – Willem Hermans Competition (Pistoia, 2009),
– 2nd prize – Internationaler Franz-Schmidt-Wettbewerb (Kitzbühel, 2006),
– 2nd prize – International Petr Eben Competition (Opava, 2004),
– 1st prize – 5th Competition of Polish Organ Music (Legnica, 2002).
Krzysztof Urbaniak was jury member of international organ competitions, i.a.:
– International Musashino Organ Competition (2023),
– Internationaler Dieterich-Buxtehude-Wettbewerb (Lübeck 2022),
– International Sweelinck-Wettbewerb (Gdańsk, 2021),
– International Schnitger Organ Competition (Alkmaar, 2019 u. 2015),
– Internationaler Gottfried-Silbermann-Wettbewerb (Freiberg, 2017).
His intense concert carrier led him in the past 20 years to Latvia, Finnland, Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden, England, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, South Korea and Japan.
2013–2016 he was Artist in residence at the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Hall in Łódź, where he is curator of both organs since 2017. Founder and artistic director of organ festivals in Pasłęk (Andreas Hildebrandt organ from 1717–1719) and ECHO artistic director of the city of Olkusz (organ by Hans Hummel and Georg Nitrowski from 1611–1631).
As organ expert he consulted many organ restoration and construction project in several European countries. He is organ expert of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Poland and at the National Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
He regularly publishes CD recordings, music editions and articles about historic organbuilding and performance practice.
Contact: kurbaniak@hfk-bremen.de
Contact: ikulikov@hfk-bremen.de
Sebastian Wienand studied harpsichord, fortepiano and basso continuo with Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, Edoardo Torbianelli and Jesper Christensen at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland.
He founded the chamber music ensemble l’Ornamento, whose work was rewarded with successes such as the ensemble’s audience award and first prize at Musica Antiqua Bruges and the audience award at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, where the ensemble was a guest almost annually for over ten years.
His versatility has brought him together with renowned artists and ensembles of classical music. He is a member of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and works closely with flutist Maurice Steger, the B’Rock Orchestra and the Academy for Ancient Music Berlin. Sebastian is also a member of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, which gives him the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting musicians outside the early music scene.
As musical assistant to the Belgian conductor René Jacobs, he has been involved in internationally acclaimed opera productions for many years, including at the Staatsoper Berlin, Theater an der Wien and La Monnaie in Brussels.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has participated in numerous recordings, including keyboard concertos by Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach and his sons Carl Philipp and Wilhelm Friedemann with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, La Cetra Basel and Millenium Orchestra, as well as keyboard solo pieces and various works with Maurice Steger on the CDs Mr. Handel’s Dinner (2018) and A Tribute to Bach (2023).
Sebastian has been a scholarship holder of the German Music Council, the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, the Mozart Foundation Dortmund, and the Arts Foundation Baden-Württemberg.
Contact: sebastianwienand@icloud.com
Carsten Lohff studied Harpischord and Music theory with Johann Sonnleitner, Bob van Asperen, Gustav Leonhardt and Christoph Hohlfeld.
As a continuo player and soloist, Carsten Lohff is featured on the recordings of ensembles such as Cantus Cölln, Le Concert Brisé and La Rêveuse.
Carsten Lohff has taught at the Hochschulen in Nürnberg-Augsburg and Trossingen.
Since 1992 Carsten Lohhf has held the position of Professor for Harpsichord and Continuo at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Hamburg and in 2001 Carsten Lohff was appointed Professor for Historical Keyboard Instruments at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.
Amongst his recordings are:
- Bach-Konzerte for 3 and 4 Cembali with Bob van Asperen a.o. La Barca d’Amore
- Musique Transalpine with Le Concert Brisé (William Dongois)
- Awakening Princesses with Peter Holtslag
- many recordings with La Rêveuse (Diapason d’or)
Contact: c.lohff@hfk-bremen.de
Mimoe Todo began to learn piano at the age of three. Her musical perspective grew also through choir singing, bassoon and horn playing through her school years.
She studied at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg with Prof. Wiebke Weidanz and at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag with Siebe Henstra, Richard Eggar, Patrick Ayrton, Bart van Oort und Petra Somlai. She received various scholarships such as DAAD
and ,Chancengleichheit für Frauen in Forschung und Lehre’ during her master’s degrees in Nuremberg.
Her enthusiasm for the German language led her to Deutsche Lieder. She worked intensively with singers for many years in the Lied class with Prof. Marcelo Amaral and Holger Berndsen.
She is regularly engaged as a continuo player, and she enjoys to play on harpsichord, positive organ and fortepiano in many different settings. Her chamber music groups were awarded at several competitions such as International Berlin Bach Competition.
Between 2021 til 2023, she assisted as a mentor/harpsichordist for the chamber music program for the School for Young Talent of the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag. She works as a repetiteur for the early music department at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen from October 2023.
Contact: mimoe.todo@gmail.com
Ensemble
The conductor, organist and harpsichordist Detlef Bratschke received intensive musical training early on in the ranks of the Hanover Boys Choir.
Detlef Bratschke studied church music in Hanover and Freiburg. As part of his extensive concert activities as an ensemble singer and instrumentalist, he received significant impulses, of particular importance here is the long-term close collaboration with Thomas Hengelbrock.
One focus of his work is the direction of the Orlando di Lasso Ensemble, which he founded and directs.
Detlef Bratschke has been the artistic director of the Balthasar Neumann Choir since 1992.
As part of his specialization in the music of the 16th and 17th centuries, Detlef Bratschke carries out extensive work on original sources and has created a number of his own editions of previously unpublished works.
Contact: d.bratschke@hfk-bremen.de
Voice
Julie Comparini undertook professional stage acting training at a young age and completed degrees in cognitive science/linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley and early music singing at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.
Their repertoire includes rare or re-discovered early operas as well as in interdisciplinary theater pieces. Their own multimedia creations and scenic concerts have been performed in multiple European countries.
Julie Comparini appears regularly as a soloist and ensemble singer and has sung more than 100 Bach cantatas as part of the project “Laudate-Cantate”. In 2020, Ailís Ní Ríain composed the song cycle Watershed for them and Irish Arts Council Music Commissions Award recipient Yonit Kosovske.
Contact: jcomparini@hfk-bremen.de
Bettina Pahn first studied cello and later focused on singing at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin and in Frankfurt.
The German Soprano cooperates intensively with Ton Koopman in recordings and concerts. Together with him, she performs in the most important concert halls (Carnegie Hall in New York and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam…) and also in numerous international festivals (the Göttingen Handel Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival).
Bettina Pahn collaborates with Joachim Held (lutenist) since many years.
Since 2017 Bettina Pahn teaches “Early Music Singing” at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.
Contact: bpahn@hfk-bremen.de
Countertenor Benno Schachtner is counted amongst the leading singers in the field of Early Music worldwide. He studied church music at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and Singing at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. He is a regular guest at renowned concert halls such as Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Opéra National de Paris and performs with groups such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Collegium 1704.
A driving force behind his artistic work is his collaboration with René Jacobs and Vàclav Luks. Until 2020 Benno taught historical performance practice at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim, in April 2020 Benno was appointed Professor for Historical Singing at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.
Contact: bschachtner@hfk-bremen.de
Music Theory and Musicology
Christoph Prendl is a musician and musicologist. He completed his studies in Linz, Basel and Würzburg. He taught music theory at the music academies in Mannheim, Trossingen and Freiburg im Breisgau and works as a gambist, harpsichord player and choir director. Concert tours take him regularly through various countries in Europe and America. His research focuses on German-language music theory in the 17th and 18th centuries as well as figured bass theory and methodology from the beginnings to the 19th century. He has published on Claudio Monteverdi and Johann Joseph Fux, among others.
Contact: cprendl@hfk-bremen.de
Scenic Representation and Dance
Plucked Instruments
Joachim Held studied historical Lutes at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Eugen Dombois and Hopkinson Smith, as well as with Jürgen Hübscher at the Musikhochschule Karlsruhe. In 1990 he won the second prize at the Concours Musica Antiqua Bruges. Since then he maintained an intensive international performing career as a soloist, chamber musician and continuo player.
Joachim Held has played under the direction of Nikolaus Harnoncourt and with Il Giardino Armonico. In addition to this, Joachim Held has recently worked in Opera Productions under the direction of Ivor Bolton and Alessandro Quarto, solo concerts for the Neue Bachgesellschaft, as well as teaching in courses throughout Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy.
Joachim Held is a recording artist with Hänssler Classic. He received the Echo Klassik award in 2006 for the best solo recording of music from the 17/18th centuries.
Joachim Held teaches at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen and the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag.
Contact: j.held@hfk-bremen.de
Margit Schultheiß first studied historical keyboard instruments with Glen Wilson and Jacques Ogg. She continued her studies as a student of Andrew Lawrence-King at the HfK Bremen in the subject of historical harp.
Since 1995 she has been a freelance continuo player (baroque and renaissance harp, organ, harpsichord), with a particular interest in 17th century music.
She has participated in around 75 CD productions with many ensembles, a.o. Weser-Renaissance Bremen, Lautten Compagney Berlin, Salzburg Court Music and Orlando di Lasso Ensemble.
She has also played in numerous theaters as a baroque harpist in opera productions.
Since the summer semester 2011 she has been teaching historical harp and since 2012 improvisation early music at the HfK Bremen.
Contact: m.schultheiss@hfk-bremen.de