Here you may find information regarding our members as well as the Ensemble Cantarco as such. If you wish to receive further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ensemble CANTARCO

Ensemble Cantarco was founded in 2002 by Isabell Grossmann. In the summer of 2003 the legal status of Ensemble Cantarco became a non-profit organization (German: Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts). It thrives on a strong commitment from each of its six members: 4 string players and two vocalists. It is this combination which lends the ensemble its name: CANTARCO from Canto (to sing) and Arco (bow). The Ensemble works without a conductor, which enables flexibility and an own musical responsibility from each of its members. Each member has a right to voice their own opinion about repertoire and musical concept. Due to its diverse nationalities, several cultural and musical experiences come together. (Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Austria and the Czech Republic). Each of its members holds a degree in music education.

Sonoko Nagai (coloratura soprano)

Sonoko Nagai is born in Tokyo (Japan). At the age of 6, she started to learn playing the piano and later as well the horn. She studied singing in Tokyo College of Music and made her debut with Concert arias of Mozart for ex. Popoli di Tessaglia (amongst others KV 316) and gave many concerts, participated in operas and oratorios (mainly from Mozart). Later she studied at the Akademia Muzyczna in Warsaw (Poland) with Prof. Donat in an after graduate course. In 1999 she came to Germany where she studied at the Musikakademie in Kassel.

During her study, she made her debut in Casa Nova at the National Theatre in Kassel in the role as heroin Baerbele (Operette "Schwarzwaldmaedel"), and some other projects with which she gave many concerts. Mainly she sang the Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute), Blonde (The Abduction from Seraglio), Gilda (Rigoletto), Olympia (The Hoffmanns Tales) and much more. Apart from operas, she sang as well many oratorios. For example the Missa in c-minor (KV.427), C-Major (KV.317), Requiem of Mozart, The Messiah of Haendel, Passions of Bach etc. She devotes to analyze and sing some songs of Szymanowski, Rachmaninoff and Chopin etc. She received good reviews in some newspapers constantly with lines like: "absolutely beautiful and sure coloratura-high tones", "She impresses with her on stage presentation. Her expression and singing are a revelation!"

Isabell Großmann (mezzo soprano)

Born in 1977 in Landau/Pfalz (Germany). She grew up in Höhr-Grenzhausen. At the age of 12 she started playing the viola with Dorothea Buchwald. Later she changed to Andreas Sokol (Principal viola at the Rheinische Philharmonie) and became a member of the 'Landes- und Bundesjugendorchesters". At the same time she took vocal lessons with Christiana Jordan. After her school-leaving examination she decided to begin a musical career. She studied the viola in Kassel with Almut Steinhausen and at the Academy of Music Detmold, dep. Münster (hochschule für Musik Detmold, abt. Münster) with Professor Hartmut Lindemann.

In 2002 she finished her Music Education study and started her postgraduate study. Since 1997 she studied singing as a second subject in Kassel, which she continued with Herzog Gorén. She attended Master classes with Professor Hartmut Lindemann, Professor Diericks (Viola) and with Bernd Weikel (Singing). In 1998 she had been awarded a sponsorship prize (Förderpreis der Stiftung Peredur) in the field of both singing and the viola. With numerous concerts she broadened her repertoire with works from J.S.Bach, L.v. Beethoven, Gloria from A. Vivaldi, Buxtehude etc.

She puts special emphasis into chambermusik. She performs frequently together with pianist Sara Derman. With her she is working especially on music from Gustav Mahler and Johannes Brahms.

Recently she continued her vocal study with the soprano Petra Schmidt.

Further informationen about her can be seen at www.isabellgrossmann.de.

Susanne Herrmann (violin)

Susanne Herrmann was born in 1965 in Grebenstein (Germany). Her career as a violinist had been considerably influenced by the Hungarian violinist Professor Albert Kocsis. Mr. Kocsis conducted the "International Béla Bartók Chamberorchestra" with which she undertook numorous concert tours. She continued her study with the Dutch violinist Dick. C. Blokbergen. She was influence musically at several courses in chamber music by Geoffry Wharton (concertmaster of the Gürzenich Orchesters).

Susanne Herrmann performed with several chamber music ensembles. In a duo arrangement with pianist Julia Reingardt (Since 1999), in the "Zur Zeit Trio" (Since 1997, Violin, clarinet and the piano) as well as the chamber orchestra "Louis Spohr Sinfonietta", which won several international prizes like the special prize of the Milan Scala (Italy) for string orchestras and recorded several CDs. Apart from that she plays with theater productions as stage musician as well as productions of the State orchestra from Kassel.

Additionally she is interested in music education. She teaches the violin and chamber music. She taught the violin in 2001 in California (USA) at the "Sacramento Youth Symphony's Chamber Music Workshop".

Roman Oracko (violin)

Roman Oracko was born in 1980 in Brno (Czech Republic). He received his first violin lessons at the age of six from his father, the violinist Jan Oracko. Later he studied with Mrs. Dagmar Kucharova. At the age of 14 Roman Oracko started his studies at the Conservatory of Music in his hometown Brno ( Czech Republic) in the class of Professor Arnost Jira. After two years he became a master class student of Professor Pavel Suk. During this time he performed as substitute in the violin section at the Opera in Brno.

Between October 2000 and July 2002 he studied at the Music Academy in Kassel, Germany, with Prof. Barbara Doll. Since October 2002 he studies at the Hochschule für Musik Cologne-Wuppertal with Prof. Ingeborg Scheerer. Either in Kassel and Wuppertal as also in numerous international acclaimed orchestras, Roman Oracko has acted as concertmaster as well as principal second violin. Among other engagements, he has been a member of the University Orchestra of the Hochschule in Cologne-Wuppertal, the Symphony Orchestra Concierto Munich as well as the Idyllwild Arts Festival Orchestra in California, USA.

Apart from his various performances with numerous symphony orchestras throughout Europe and the USA, Roman Oracko is very active in the field of chamber music. He performs regularly with the Ensemble Cantarco, a German-based ensemble specialized in ancient music as well as the Aachener Kammermusik-Ensemble.

Besides his longtime interest in chamber music and orchestral playing, Roman has focused on special projects ranging from traditional folklore over Vienna Cafehouse Music to Jazz-Improvisations.

[ Louis-Spohr-Trio ]

Marc Nijdam (viola)

Marc Nijdam was born at the 23rd of June 1973 in Hengelo (The Netherlands). At the age of eight he started playing the violin with Carolien Ingen Housz and changed after a few years to the viola.

In the year 1993 he started to study the viola at the Music conservatory in Enschede (Netherlands). A few years later he received a "Tempus Sponsorship" which enabled him to study temporarily at the Academy of Music in Riga (Latvia) with Arrigo Strals. When he returned he moved to Germany to study with professor Hartmut Lindemann at the Academy of Music Detmold, dep. Münster (hochschule für Musik Detmold, abt. Münster). Here he received his degree in music education in 2001. In the same year he continued to study with Richard Wolfe at the Utrecht School of the Arts. During the previous years he always showed some interest in electronics. While studying in Utrecht in 2001 he got the opportunity to study at same time electronic engineering at the Saxion Hogeschool Enschede, which he finished in 2006.

Marc studied the viola in the summer of 2001 and 2002 at the conservatoire américain à Fontainebleau.

Berthold Mayrhofer (double bass)

Berthold Mayrhofer is an Austrian citizen, born in 1961, in Hannover (Germany). He studied Double Bass at the academy of Music Kassel, in which he holds a degree in orchestra playing(Orchesterreife). He studied double bass with Werner Schroeder. In 1993 he replaced Werner Schroeder in the chamber orchestra "Louis Spohr Sinfonietta", who died. The orchestra received in 1992 the special prize of the Milan Scala for string orchestras. With the chamber orchestra he toured through Europe. The orchestra received many awards, like the first prize for chamber orchestras in Milan (Italy) from the "società del giardino" as well as a sponsorship prize from the Milan Scala (Sonderpreis der Mailänder Scala). In the years 1996/97 and 2002 the Louis Spohr Sinfonietta produced 3 CDs which were recorded by Tyrolis and Koch Discover International.

During his study he educated himself into Jazz music. He played with famous Jazz musicians like Gunter Hampel, Rachel Gould, Toto Blanke, Sal Nistico etc. (in Germany and in New York). Since 20 years he plays in a duo with jazz guitarist Peter Most. One of the latest performances was at the 10th Kasseler Jazzfestival (Germany) in the theater.

In the area of classical music he has a broad experience in religious music and in chamber music. (In the "Divertimento Quartett" he replaced the cello part)