Masterclass Flute

Andreas Böhlen studied at the conservatories in Bremen and Cologne with Ulrike Petritzki and Günter Höller and at the conservatory in Amsterdam with Walter van Hauwe and Paul Leenhouts (Bachelor’s degree with honours). This was followed by a degree in musicology in Bologna (Italy). After completing his master’s degree in ‘historical improvisation’ with distinction under Rudolf Lutz at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland), he studied jazz saxophone performance with Domenic Landolf in Basel until 2011, graduating with an ‘excellent’ master’s degree. Mr Böhlen previously studied jazz saxophone at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Jasper Blom and Dick Oatts, among others, and played lead saxophone in the German National Jazz Orchestra until 2008.

Andreas Böhlen has won several prizes at Jugend musiziert, Jugend jazzt, the International Recorder Days Engelskirchen, the Vriendenkrans Concours (Amsterdam) and the Van Wassenaer Concours (The Hague). He has also produced for various television and radio stations such as NDR, Deutschlandfunk, ORF Styria, 3FM Melbourne, NHK (Japan) and ABC Classics (Australia) and has performed throughout Europe, Japan, the USA and Australia. Andreas has released the CDs La meraviglia parlante, Most ravishing things, Satyr’s Band, Airborne, Windgesang and Cruise under his own direction. He has also released numerous productions under the direction of others.

In addition to his work as a performing musician, Böhlen is increasingly active as a researcher, teacher and curator. He gives lectures on performance practice and improvisation and teaches recorder at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and the Zurich University of the Arts. Andreas Böhlen is a recorder player and jazz saxophonist. His fields of activity include early music as well as contemporary music and jazz. He specialises in improvisation in various historical styles of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and in jazz (saxophone). He leads his own early music formations: Theatrum Affectuum (music of the 17th and 18th centuries, recorder, violin, cello, lute and harpsichord) and Satyr’s Band (music of the 16th and 17th centuries, recorders, shawms, dulcians and organ).

He also performs with his own jazz bands Andreas Böhlen Band (saxophone, guitar, bass and drums) and Crank (microtonal jazz with saxophone, bass trombone, cello, guitar and drums). He is also a member of various chamber music formations and bands throughout Europe and collaborates with renowned orchestras.