About us - Team und Mythos

Our Coaches for your success!

Karin Bonelli

Masterclass Flute

Karin Bonelli thrives on being surrounded by an ocean of sound and the creative individuals who make it homogeneous. With this being the case, it is most fortunate that since 2012, she has been a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which creates its own singular harmonious ocean of tonality. She was the first woman to obtain a position in the wind section of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and with that, also in the Vienna Philharmonic. However, it was not fortunate circumstance alone that placed this young artist in this outstanding musical entity, but rather a long, arduous journey, beginning with her first flute lessons under the tuteledge of her mother - her father also being a flutist and professor. She consequently studied in Linz, Vienna, Lyon, and Munich with teachers such as Gisela Mashayekhi-Beer, Günter Voglmayr, Philippe Boucly, Wolfgang Schulz, Julien Beaudiment, Philippe Bernold and Karl-Heinz Schütz. The interaction with these instructors provided Karin Bonelli with a precocious comprehension of various regions, concepts of sound and styles of playing, which allowed her to develop her own individual musicianship without ever stifling her endeavours to further her professional ability.

In addition to various competition awards at an early age, she was still young when she was introduced to the orchestral world, playing with the Vienna Symphony, the National Orchestra de France and the Opera National de Lyon. More currently, along with her position in the Vienna Philharmonic with whom she experiences all of the world-renown conductors and soloists, she is a founding member of the "Vienna Wind Quintet“ as well as the „Klangkollektiv Wien“. With such musically energetic partners like the violinist Benni Schmid and the pianist Markus Schirmer, Karin is extremely devoted to chamber musical performance, as well as giving her own solo flute concerts. She was an instructor at the Music University in Graz (2017/18) and, more recently, is teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She strives to develop individuality in the young flute players, encouraging them to discover their own musical talent.

Gudrun Hinze

Masterclass Piccoloflute

Gudrun Hinze was born in Homburg/Saar and studied the flute in Düsseldorf and Essen. After her studies, she was engaged by the WDR Symphonie-Orchestra (Köln) and MDR Symphonie-Orchestra (Leipzig). From 1993 until today, she has been solo piccoloist with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Additionally, she was appointed as principal piccoloist with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra from 1999 – 2017. She has been teaching the piccolo flute during her whole professional career as a musician, in institutions like the “Hochschule für Musik “ in Leipzig, Hannover and München. Today she is sharing her experiences and knowledge in master classes and as a member of the online academies “International Piccolo Flute Academy” and “Penthesilea Academy”.
She is also a teacher in the Mendelssohn Academy of the Gewandhausorchester zu Leipzig. Gudrun recorded two CDs with piccolo solo literature, published 2006 (Berlin Classics) and 2010 (Talanton records).
Gudrun was a founding member and the specialist for the piccolo parts in the Leipzig Flute ensemble, “Quintessenz”. During her active time in the ensemble (1996-2019), it became her task and determination to arrange compositions suitable for her quintet, as there are still few pieces originally written for flute quintet. Gudrun is still taking joy arranging music for flute quintet and more.
Quintessenz Leipzig Flute Ensemble (quintessenz-leipzig.com) During the years 2018 – 2020 Gudrun completed an apprenticeship in family constellation therapy, psychological astrology, and regression therapy. The skills of these disciplines go beyond music – but
if integrated into teaching classes, they make a bigger picture of the approach to music and enable the teacher to reveal the potential of every student with much empathy and a deep, holistic attitude.

Philippe Boucly

Visiting Professor Flute

Born into a family of musicians in Mulhouse (France), Philippe Boucly received his training from such prominent flutists as Marcel Moyse, Roger Bourdin, James Galway, and Michel Debost. As a student of Jean-Pierre Rampal, he won the first prize at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 1981. Jean-Pierre Rampal said of him: "His dazzling technique and pure warm tone are always at the service of his great musicality, allowing him to flourish wonderfully as a soloist." He is a prize winner of various music competitions, including Prague 1977, Paris 1976, and Barcelona 1982. In 1979, Philippe Boucly became the principal flutist of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, and from 1984, the principal flutist in the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Since 1988, he has been the principal flutist in the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Broadcasting in Munich. He has also performed with other major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Munich Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, and has played under famous conductors like L. Bernstein, S. Celibidache, G. Solti, C.M. Giulini, C. Kleiber, L. Maazel, C. Abbado, B. Haitink, Z. Mehta, P. Boulez. Besides his orchestral work, Philippe Boucly focuses on solo and chamber music concerts and was a member of the Linos Ensemble for many years. He was the orchestra's chairman and co-founder of the Academy of the Symphony Orchestra.

On the occasion of Sir Georg Solti's 80th birthday, Philippe Boucly participated in a gala concert at Buckingham Palace in 1992, invited by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, along with artists like M. Rostropovich, P. Domingo, and J. Baker. The performance of the original version of Wagner's Siegfried Idyll with soloists from 13 top orchestras (including the BRSO), regularly conducted by Sir Georg Solti, was one of the highlights of the concert. From 1992 to 1995, Philippe Boucly taught at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, and from 1994 to 2008, he supervised a flute class at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich. From 2008 to 2021, Philippe Boucly was a professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. He regularly gives masterclasses in Germany and abroad (Europe, Japan, Korea, China, etc.).

Hans Gansch

Visiting Professor Trumpet

Hans Gansch, born on April 13, 1953 in Kirnberg/Mank, Lower Austria, received his first music lessons at the tender age of seven from his father, a passionate amateur musician and conductor of the local brass band. At a young age, Hans learned to play both the recorder and the small drum. At eleven, he began taking trumpet lessons, under the steady guidance of his father, which lasted until his 19th year.

During his time in military service with the Upper Austrian Military Music, Hans began his music studies at the renowned Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, under the direction of Prof. Franz Veigl.

His professional orchestral career has been impressive:

From 1974 to 1976, he served as the first trumpet in the Bruckner Orchestra Linz.
Subsequently, from 1976 to 1982, he was the first trumpet in the ORF Symphony Orchestra.
From 1982 to 1996, he assumed the role of first trumpet in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic.

Since 1996, Hans Gansch has been passing on his expertise and knowledge to the next generation by holding the professorship for trumpet at the renowned University Mozarteum Salzburg.

Among his notable achievements is the awarding of the "German Record Critics' Award" in 1995 for the recording of the CD "Trumpet Concertos".

Gansch is known for his collaboration with distinguished chamber music ensembles such as the "Austrian Brass Connection", "Pro Brass", "Art of Brass Vienna", "Contrapunti", and "German Brass". His solo performances and master classes are sought after both domestically and abroad, and his musical versatility is documented on numerous recordings. Hans Gansch is an impressive example of musical passion and talent that continues to discover and perfect new facets over decades.

Roman Rindberger

Masterclass Trumpet

Roman Rindberger has been professor of trumpet and brass chamber music at the MUK - Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien (Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna) since 2012, as well as trumpet player in the ensemble Mnozil Brass.
His tours with Mnozil Brass have brought him to the stages of all the world's major concert halls and music theaters, including Suntory Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonic, KKL Lucerne, Burgtheater Vienna and, of course, Vienna Musikverein and the Vienna Konzerthaus.
He has worked in every style imaginable, from baroque music to contemporary and experimental compositions.
As an orchestral trumpeter, he has been active in numerous orchestras over many years, such as those of the Zurich Opera and the Munich State Opera. He has played with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and many others.
Through this he has learned a lot about the different cultures and traditions of these orchestras and now passes this on to his students in order to be able to give them as comprehensive a picture as possible of the different styles and musical influences. Especially in auditions you have to be able to hit the right style depending on the country and tradition in order to be convincing.
Many of the students he has coached in recent years have already been able to implement this training very effectively, and to find success at international competitions, as well as winning spots in renowned European orchestras.

Furthermore, as a certified trainer, Roman Rindberger offers his students various methods - complementing the musical work - such as the Wim Hof Method, Oxygen Advantage and Wingwave, in order to make top performance possible, on a mental and physical level as well.

Dr. Vera Popper

Mental Training

For more than 15 years, Dr. Vera Popper has been coaching people to meet life’s challenges, individually and in group seminars. Her Dynamic Balancing Consulting covers a broad spectrum of approaches, taking advantage of the latest insights from the fields of psychology, neurobiology and brain research. In a sensitive and goal-oriented manner, she works on blockades and dogmas which can hamper us musicians, especially in an audition setting, by using the tried-and-trusted PEP method developed by Dr. Michael Bohne, among others.

Oluwafemi Oladeji

Physical balance

In Femi’s long career as a practitioner and expert in Pilates, Kung-Fu and Shiatsu, he has met people with a whole range of problems. No two of them have been alike, and each case was unique. But they all had one thing in common: they were searching for more – better health, added time for themselves, more recreation. Constant stress and demands for top performance strain the body in various ways. His clients include several musicians who suffer from wrist pain, back and shoulder problems. But he not only supports you in finding the balance in your body again, but also in discovering and realising your own personal share of „more". He offers various forms of approaches to our participants such as his self-developed breathing exercises, relaxing Shiatsu massages and gentle Kung-Fu, all of which are tailored to your personal needs and will be practiced in single coachings and group lessons. That’s how you’ll learn to go beyond your own limits as you strive for the best.

Sabine Pröglhöf-Karner

Correpetition

Solo répétiteur at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK), Department Wind and Percussion Instruments since 1989 Répétiteur at festivals, masterclasses, auditions and so on in Austria and abroad (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, RSO Vienna, Österreichische Kammersymphoniker, Allegro vivo) Concert activities in Vienna Musikverein, Vienna Konzerthaus, Festivals like Wien Modern, Hörgänge, Carinthischer Sommer, Jeunesse musicale etc., Broadcast and CD-Recordings, Chamber music and recitals with singers and instrumentalists.

Nikolaus Wagner

Correpetition

He is a member of the Trio Marc Chagall, the Theophil Ensemble Wien, the Ensemble Quart@art, the Ensemble Pro Brass and performs regularly with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the RSO Vienna and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz.

Concerts and recitals have taken him to the Vienna Musikverein, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin, Cologne and Baden-Baden Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestras, Columbia University, the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York, the Palmklang Festival and the Brucknerhaus Linz.

Nikolaus is a solo répétiteur at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz and works as a piano teacher at the Upper Austrian State Music School.

Penthesilea Classics - our association

Karin Bonelli

Artistic director

Markus Kaar, MA

Commercial Manager

Markus Kaar is a musician and at the same time the economic and organizational brain of the Penthesilea Academy. Already at the age of 3 years his biggest wish was to become a musician - he fulfilled this wish by studying violoncello at the Anton Bruckner Private University and various concert tours. After graduating from high school, however, he decided to switch to the world of business and completed his bachelor's and master's degree at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna.

With his wide-ranging business knowledge and extensive professional experience in the areas of sales and marketing, as well as being the founder of an online music agency and an expert in the event and live music sector, he contributes his know-how to the planning and implementation of the Penthesilea Academy.

The Myth of Penthesilea

Penthesilea was the daughter of the legendary Amazon queen Otrere and Ares, the Olympian god of war. In the battle of Troy, Penthesilea and her female warriors came to the aid of the Trojans, who were besieged by the Greek army. She was severely wounded in battle by Achilles. When he removed Penthesilea’s helmet as she lay dying, he fell in love with her and regretted his action.

The legend was recounted in an epos as early as 750 BC, reappearing in Virgil’s Aeneid around 20 BC. In 1808 Heinrich von Kleist used the motif of the Amazon queen for his drama Penthesilea. This play was the basis of the symphonic poem Penthesilea by the composer Hugo Wolf, written around 1885, some of it in Traunkirchen. As his only completed orchestral work, it occupies a special position in Hugo Wolf’s oeuvre.

Thus, we are not only connected with Penthesilea through this special place, but we also consider
her our role model in terms of strength, courage and drive, all attributes expressing our vitality and
enabling us to turn our visions into reality.

YOUR STEPPING STONE TO THE ORCHESTRAL WORLD.