Detlef Bensmann

– English below –

Saxophonist (Solist, Kammermusiker, Improvisator), Komponist, Dirigent, Dozent; Musikstudium an der Universität der Künste von 1975-1985 mit den Hauptfächern Saxophon und Kontrabass, Nebenfächern Komposition und Improvisation; 1979 und 1980 Kontrabassist im Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin; 1980 Debut in der Berliner Philharmonie als Saxophonsolist (Glasunow-Konzert u. Debussy-Rhapsodie) mit dem Deutschen SymphonieOrchester; seitdem mehrere 100 Aufführungen als Solist mit Rundfunk-, Staats- und Landesorchestern in Europa und Amerika. Ca. 30 Saxophonkonzerte wurden für ihn komponiert, einige sind auf seinen ca. 25 CDs veröffentlich; 10 CDs mit dem Berliner Saxophon Quartett (Gründungmitglied von 1984-2010); international erfolgreich auch als Komponist und Dirigent; lehrt seit 1984 an der UdK, seit 1991 zusätzlich an der HfM Hanns Eisler; international gefragter Dozent und Wettbewerbs-Juror.

Detlef Bensmann studied saxophone with Prof. Omar Lamparter and double bass with Prof. Heinz Jablonski in Berlin, Germany. After playing double bass in the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1979/80), he started his career as a saxophone soloist with a debut concert in the Berlin Philharmonie with the Radio Symphonie Orchestra Berlin (DSO) and a first recording of concertos for saxophone and orchestra (1980). Among Mr. Bensmann’s twenty commercial recordings of important works are pieces composed for Detlef Bensmann and others composed by Detlef Bensmann. He regularly performs internationally with world-class orchestras and conductors of renown, such as Dmitrij Kitajenko with the Berner Symphoniker, with Radio Symphonie Orchestra Frankfurt (HR), Kazushi Ono, Sian Edwards, Eiji Oue, Tetsuro Ban, David Shallon, Michael Dixon, Golo Berg, Neil Thompson, Jorge Lopez Marìn (Cuba), Olaf Koch and others.

More than 25 concertos have been composed especially for Detlef Bensmann (mostly recorded) and he has premiered more than 100 compositions for chamber ensembles or solo pieces.

In 1983, Mr. Bensmann founded the “Berlin Saxophone Quartet” where, until July 2007, he performed as the primarius (principal) of this ensemble. He has continued playing saxophone quartets with the “Bensmann-Saxophone-Quartet”, which he founded 2006 with students of his master-class. In September 2017, Mr. Bensmann founded together with Yin Pei, Lilly Paddags and Ninoslav Dimov the “Nova Berlin Saxophone Quartet”.

In 1984, Mr. Bensmann started teaching at the University of the Arts, Berlin. Since 1992, he has also been teaching at the “Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin” and, from summer 2010 to summer 2016, at the “HMT Rostock”. Since Winter 2016 he is also teaching at the Academy for the Arts Berlin.

Since 1987, Mr. Bensmann has also performed at concerts and recorded with the piano soloist Michael Rische. In that time he also started the cooperation with Christian Roderburg (percussion). For both, duo compositions were created.

In 2004, Mr. Bensmann founded the BENSMANN-TRIO with Waltraut Wächter (Violin – first Konzertmeister of MDR SO) and the pianist Dmitrij Befeler. (first commercial CD “Poèmes”). This trio is still working with different partners.