Biography

From a passion to a purpose and a profession.

Roland Pütz, born 1961 in Cologne.
High school and university in Cologne.
Profession: musician (trombonist, music teacher) with training as an actor and clown.
Lecturer for trombone and euphonium at the College of Art and Music in Neunkirchen-Seelscheid.
Conductor and musical director for a school orchestra, a symphonic wind orchestra, and two music societies.

Passion: playing the alphorn

Roland Pütz first began playing the alphorn in his youth. His original AlphornVirtuos quartet soon caused a sensation, not least for its transcriptions of well-known works of classical music and jazz that were previously regarded as unplayable on the alphorn. Today, Roland Pütz is also a renowned soloist with regular invitations to give concerts in Switzerland and elsewhere. He has also performed on numerous occasions at international music festivals and in productions with prestigious orchestras. To quote from the press: 'You thought it couldn't be played on the alphorn? Well think again!'

A major engagement of recent times was Pferd und Sinfonie, a concert with the Aachen Symphony Orchestra given at the CHIO Aachen horse show in Aachen's Deutsche Bank Stadium. Directed by Kazem Abdullah with Roland Pütz as soloist, the concert featured Dialogue avec la Nature, a concerto for alphorn composed by Jean Daetwyler.

A selection of Roland Pütz's favourite quotes:
'The alphorn is really just another wind instrument.'
'Don't think about it. It'll be alright!'
'Just play. And make it sound like alphorn music!'