Austrian artist Constanze Hochwartner is an international touring solo organist and pianist as well as part of the Duo Steiner-Hochwartner. Her 2025/2026 season features a Fall organ tour through the USA & Europe, as well as piano and organ tours throughout the USA, Asia & Australia in the Spring of 2026. A season highlight will be the release of her second solo album NANI Vol. II, in the fall of 2025!

Constanze received her first piano lessons at the young age of three with Russian Pianist Irina Auner, before being accepted into a class for gifted students in 2005 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. After graduating from high school, she switched her focus from piano to organ and started her studies in concert performance for organ with Univ. Prof. Ulrich Walther. Simultaneously, she studied instrumental and vocal pedagogy with an additional focus on piano and graduated in the Fall of 2017. In October 2019 she finished her Master's degree studying with Univ. Prof. Karin Tafeit (organ) at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. She has also been mentored by Univ. Prof. Gunther Rost.

Constanze has given solo performances around the globe, including organ concerts in Europe, the United States and South America. She performed as a soloist in the Graz Cathedral in 2015 and 2016 and at the “Grazer Orgelfrühling” 2016 in the Herz Jesu-Kirche in Graz. In May 2024 she premiered "Departures" a Concerto for Piano, Trombone & Symphony Orchestra with the Fort Worth Symphony conducted by Robert Spano. 

In 2017, Constanze began collaborating with trombonist Peter Steiner and formed the Duo Steiner-Hochwartner. For their debut 2017/2018 season the Duo maintained an ambitious international performance schedule, including an 8-week USA tour (40 concerts), a concert at the Wartburg Festival (Eisenach,Germany), and a series of concerts in Europe (Austria, Italy, and Switzerland). The 2018/2019 season highlights include a 3-month World Tour with both solo organ recitals and performances with the Duo in South America, Asia, Europe and the United States. Other performances with the Duo during the 2018-2019 season included a tour in Japan and two additional USA tours. Her 2019/2020 season involved a world tour including solo performances on the organ as well as Duo concerts in Asia, Australia, Europe and the USA. In 2024 she toured China for 8 weeks and played several Concerts in some of the biggest Cities: Beijjing, Huangzhou, Chengdu, ChongQing, Shanghai, Xi'An & Nanchang.

Constanze’s first album SAPPHIRE, in collaboration with Peter Steiner, was released in July 2019 under the Berlin Classics label. Their CD Release Tour brought them to Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. Her second album BINARY STAR, on which Constanze plays organ, was released in May 2021, again under the Berlin Classics label and in collaboration with Peter Steiner. The Christmas album THE FIRST NOËL – a Collection including both instruments (organ and piano) paired with trombone was released in December 2021. The album 2022 was brought to the public on an extensive 3 month album release tour in the year 2022 after the pandemic regulations lightened. Her most recent release is also her debut Solo Album NANI, Vol. I.

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Italian trombonist Peter Steiner’s playing has been described as “beautifully controlled with a vocal sound” and he is recognized around the world as “a new trombone star within his generation” who “plays with total control”. In 2019 he was honoured as a Prize Winner at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia. His 2025/2026 season will feature an appearance at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics 2026 together with Südtirol Filarmonica as well as Duo concerts together with Constanze Hochwartner in Austria, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the USA.

 

Mr. Steiner has soloed with numerous ensembles around the world including, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, Philharmonisches Orchester Würzburg, Taipei Chinese Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfõnica Brasileira, Bartlesville Symphony and Central Ohio Symphony. A strong advocate of new music, Peter has premiered many compositions, among many highlights are the World Premieres of the UFO Concerto for Trombone by Johan de Meij, the Trombone Concerto by Dimitri Cervo as well as Departures - Double Concerto No. 2 by Kevin Day.

 

At the age of 23, Peter Steiner was appointed Trombonist of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic for the 2016-2017 season. Prior to that engagement he served as Principal Trombonist with the Colorado Symphony for the 2014-2015 season. He has performed as guest trombonist with the Munich Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, New York Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

 

Mr. Steiner began his studies at the Music Conservatory in his hometown of Bolzano, Italy before continuing his studies at The Mozarteum of Salzburg (Austria). In 2016 he graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City with a Performance Diploma.  His major teachers and influences include Joseph Alessi, Warren Deck, Nitzan Haroz, and Dany Bonvin.

 

Mr. Steiner performs exclusively on Bach Trombones - his signature is the Artisan 47XPS.