Martin Hornstein

Martin Hornstein was born in Vienna in 1954. His most influential teachers were Valentin Erben at the Vienna Musikhochschule and Harvey Shapiro at the Juilliard School in New York. His close contact with members of the Alban Berg Quartet stirred his interest for chamber music from early on. Wile still studying Martin Hornstein began to concertise as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe and Japan.

Since then Martin Hornstein performed as a chamber musician with colleges like Christian Altenburger, François Benda, Alois Brandhofer, Gérard Caussé, Thomas Christian, Ferdinand Erblich, Sebastian Gürtler, Eszter Haffner, Erich Höbarth, Thomas Kakuska, Herbert Kefer, Ernst Kovacic, Michael Kugel, Thomas Larcher, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Dorothee Mields, Gerald Pachinger, Alois Posch, Elmar Schmid, Daniel Sepec, Lars Anders Tomter, Günther Voglmayr and collaborated with ensembles like the Aron Quartett, the Artis Quartett, the Auryn Quartett, and the Orlando Quartett.

From 1985 until 1993 he was the cellist of the Vienna Schubert Trio and from 1994 until 2004 member of the Altenberg Trio Vienna. In these Formations he gave far more then 1000 performances in all the prestigious musical centres of the world, among them Teatro alla Scala Milano, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Salzburg Festival, Wigmore Hall London, Wiener Musikverein, styriarte festival Graz a.m.m.

Since 2005 there is an emphasis on Martin Hornstein's musical partnership with the pianist Janna Polyzoides. Among the numerous appearances of the duo was a recital at the Brahms hall of the Vienna Musikverein in 2006. Since 2005 the Collaboration with the poet Semier Insayif lead to many performances of J. S. Bach's Solo-Suites in combination with poems and prose texts of the author.

The discography of the cellist contains numerous recordings with the ensembles Wiener Kammermusiker, Wiener Schubert Trio and Altenberg Trio Wien. Recently a CD with three solo suites by J. S. Bach in combination with poems by Semier Insayif ("libellen tänze", Haymon Verlag) has been released. In collaboration with members of the Kölner Streichsextett and the Klangforum Wien, a double CD with music of the composer and friend Klaus Johns was produced (Extraplatte).

Martin Hornstein regularly conducts master classes. Annually he teaches at Internationale Musiktage Bad Leonfelden (www.internationale-musiktage.com) and at the Mühldorfer Sommerakademie (www.muehldorfer-sommerakademie.de). Martin Hornstein is in charge of a chamber music class at Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität.