Ensemble Astera

has been part of the residency since 2023

Coline Richard flute
Moritz Roelcke clarinet
Gabriel Potier horn
Jeremy Bager bassoon
Yann Thenet oboe

The Ensemble Astera is a woodwind quintet, winner of the 1st prize and the special prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned work at the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition in Copenhagen in April 2023. It was founded in 2019 by five young musicians, all graduates of the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne.

Since the end of their studies, united by their friendship, they have not hesitated to come together from the four corners of Europe to share their common passion for chamber music. They form a cosmopolitan ensemble, bringing together four European nationalities, and their different experiences with major international orchestras enrich their cohesion, their particular sound and their musical affinity around the wind quintet. They are eager to share their core vision as chamber musicians: the blending of the sounds and timbres of five wind instruments in search of unity and a greater artistic dimension.

In addition to numerous arrangements, their repertoire is rich and varied, full of musical gems by great composers as well as lesser-known ones, and the musicians will make you discover or rediscover pieces from all genres, showcasing all the sound possibilities of the woodwind quintet and offering you a moving and unforgettable concert experience.

The Ensemble Astera performs at various festivals and concert seasons across Europe, as well as on France Musique, Radio Télévision Suisse and Danish Radio. As orchestral musicians, its members are part of or have performed with, orchestras such as the Orchestre National de Lille, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.