ITG 99 Ecklund Bio

Niklas Eklund's mastery of the Baroque trumpet, with his purity of tone and lightness of embouchure has made him much sought after as a soloist all over Europe. He travels widely performing with leading ensembles such as the London Baroque, La Stagione (Frankfurt), The Bach Ensemble (New York) and the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble (Stockholm). In 1996 Niklas left his position as Principal Trumpet of the Basel Radio Symphony Orchestra, where he was engaged from 1991, to devote his time to being a soloist. Future plans include invitations to several prestigious festivals around Europe as well as tours in Russia, Australia, Ukraine, and the U.S.

Mr. Eklund released his first solo-CD, Virtuoso Trumpet Concertos (Naxos), in 1995, and it rapidly became a bestseller in Sweden and abroad. The following two recordings, Music for Trumpet and Organ (with Knut Johannessen), and Baroque Duets with soprano Susanne Rydn and the London Baroque have also been very well re-ceived. In October 1998 his fourth CD, Virtuoso Trumpet Concertos 2, was released in Scandinavia. Niklas was born in Göteborg, Sweden in 1969. He started to play the trumpet at the age of five, continuing a family tradition that datesback four generations. He was educated at the School of Music and Musicology, Gteborg University, by his father Bengt Eklund, and also studied Baroque trumpet with Edward H. Tarr at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. He was awarded first prize in the First International Altenburg Competition for Baroque trumpet in Bad Sckingen, Ger-many in 1996. (Fri., May 21, 7:30 p.m.)