From Baroque to Beatles

Edgar Manyak was born in Sibiu, Romania. He received his first lessons from his father at the age of ten. After moving to Germany, he was a private pupil of Prof Richard Zettler. At the age of 19, he was awarded first prize and won the national trombone competition “Jugend musiziert”.

In 1989 Edgar Manyak began his studies at the Hochschule der Künste with Prof Johann Doms and in 1990 moved to the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen and Freiburg im Breisgau to study with Prof Branimir Slokar. In 1992 he was a finalist at the International Trombone Competition “Prague Spring” and in 1993 he was awarded first prize at the International Trombone Competition of the International Trombone Association in Berlin. Edgar Manyak completed his orchestral diploma in 1994. This was followed by postgraduate artistic studies. After several years as a chamber musician, including in the Slokar Trombone Quartet, he was engaged by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB), with whom he played a solo concert in 2003 that was broadcast live around the world. From 2005 to 2006 he was also principal trombonist with the Staatskapelle Dresden.

He is a lecturer at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel.

Hannes Hölzl was born in 1987 in Bad Hofgastein in the Austrian province of Salzburg. After beginning his musical education playing the recorder, he switched to the tenor horn at the age of five. At the age of ten, he also received trombone lessons from the Goldegg music school teacher Gernot Pracher. He later studied at the renowned Mozarteum University in Salzburg with Professor Dany Bonvin.

Between 1998 and 2000, Hannes Hölzl completed the Austrian Wind Music Association’s bronze, silver and gold performance badges, all with “excellent success”. He has also been successful at numerous international competitions: starting as the winner of the “Prima la musica” competition, he was awarded 2nd prize in Cordoba, Argentina and 1st prize at the “European Solo Champion” in Montreux, 4th prize at the International Brass Competition in Markneukirchen, Germany, 4th prize at the “Città dell’Orso” competition and 3rd prize at the “Città dell’Orso” competition. He also won 2nd prize at the Prague Spring Competition (1st prize was not awarded), where he was also awarded the Gustav Mahler Prize as the youngest finalist in the entire competition and the City of Prague Prize as the most successful finalist in the trombone competition. He was also honoured with 2nd prize at the International Trombone Competition in Budapest and received the Wiener Symphoniker sponsorship award.

Hannes Hölzl is a member of various brass ensembles and performs as a soloist with various wind orchestras and symphony orchestras at home and abroad, including in China, America, Tunisia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

Hannes Hölzl began his career in the large symphony orchestra with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra at the age of 18. In the same year, he won a two-year traineeship with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (BRSO). During this time, Hannes Hölzl earned his first permanent position at the Mainfrankentheater Würzburg, which he took up as principal trombonist at the age of 21. He has been principal trombonist with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin since 2012.

Dominik Hauer, born in 1988 in the Weinviertel region of Lower Austria, received his first trombone lessons at the age of nine and joined the local band shortly afterwards. During his school years, he completed preliminary studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Prof Dietmar Küblböck, Prof Otmar Gaiswinkler and Mark Gaal.

After graduating from the Vienna Musikgymnasium in 2008, he moved to the Universität der Künste (UDK) Berlin to study for a Bachelor’s degree under Prof Stefan Schulz. He successfully completed his master’s degree in 2019 at the Hanover University of Music under Jonas Bylund.

During his studies in Vienna, he worked as a substitute with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Tonkünstler Orchestra. From 2008 to 2010, Dominik Hauer was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and from 2011 to 2013 an academy member of the Staatskapelle Berlin. This was followed by his first permanent position as an alternating trombonist at the Cottbus State Theatre in 2014, followed by further temporary positions with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover and the Orchestra Mozart in Bologna.

Since 2021 he has been a permanent substitute trombonist in the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and has a teaching position at the UDK Berlin in the class of Prof. Stefan Schulz.

Jörg Lehmann was born in Eisenhüttenstadt in 1962. He studied at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin from 1979 to 1983. This was followed by his first engagement at the Komische Oper Berlin until 1986. He has been a bass trombonist in the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin since 1986.

He is co-founder of the Trombone Quintet Berlin (1982-2005), now “Berlin Brass”, the “Blechbläser-Ensemble Berlin” (1999-2005) (“Berlin Brass Brass Ensemble”) and the “Berlin Brass Brass Quintet”. He is also a regular guest with the “Blechbläserensemble Ludwig Güttler”.

Jörg Lehmann is committed to the interests of RSB members as orchestra and media director. He also initiates and conducts the orchestra’s family concerts with great dedication.