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The Duo

Pianist/organist Constanze Hochwartner and trombonist Peter Steiner have been performing together as a Duo since 2017. Their 2022/2023 season will feature a 5-month US tour as well as concerts in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Korea, Italy, Japan, and Singapore. Together they have toured Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. 

 

The first collaboration album SAPPHIRE was released in July 2019 under the Berlin Classics label, followed by BINARY STAR, on which Constanze plays organ (released in May 2021). In addition they also recorded THE FIRST NOËL – a Christmas Collection including both instruments (organ and piano) paired with trombone was released in December 2021. The most recent album 2022 was released in July 2022.

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Austrian artist Constanze Hochwartner is an international touring solo organist and pianist as well as part of the Duo Steiner-Hochwartner. Her 2023/2024 season features a fall organ tour through Europe and the USA, as well as piano tours throughout Asia and the USA. A season highlight will be the World Premiere of Kevin Day’s Double Concerto No. 2 together with trombonist Peter Steiner and the Fort Worth Symphony.

 

Constanze received her first piano lessons at the young age of three, 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 June 2017 she gave a recital in the parish church of St. Xaver in Leoben and concerts with the brass ensemble of the University of Music and Performing Arts. 

 

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.

 

Constanze’s debut 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. Her most recent album 2022 was brought to the public on an extensive 3 month album release tour this past summer.

 

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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 2023/2024 season will feature the World Premiere of Kevin Day’s Double Concerto No. 2 together with pianist Constanze Hochwartner and the Fort Worth Symphony, as well as performances of Ferdinand David’s Concertino with the Philharmonisches Orchester Würzburg and Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. He will also perform the Concerto by Derek Bourgeois together with the Taipei Chinese Orchestra.

 

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 has soloed with numerous ensembles around the world including, the Mariinsky Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfõnica Brasileiraand 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 and the Trombone Concerto by Dimitri Cervo. 

 

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.

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