Ernst Ottensamer
Ernst Ottensamer was an Austrian classical clarinetist.
Born in Wallern an der Trattnach in Upper Austria, Ottensamer's father, also named Ernst Ottensamer, was a former mayor of Wallern. Ottensamer studied the clarinet at the Bruckner-Konservatorium in Linz. He continued his studies in Vienna at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he completed his studies in 1979. His teachers included Peter Schmidl.
Ottensamer joined the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera in 1979. He became principal clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1983. He joined the faculty of the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien in 1986, and subsequently attained the title of Universitätsprofessor in 2000. He was a founder-member of such chamber ensembles as the Wiener Bläserensemble, Wiener Virtuosen, and the Wiener Solisten Trio. His eldest son Daniel Ottensamer became co-principal clarinetist with the Vienna Philharmonic alongside his father, and his youngest son Andreas Ottensamer is principal clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic. Together with his sons Daniel and Andreas, the three of them formed a clarinet ensemble, The Clarinotts. The Clarinotts' first album appeared in 2009, and their second album in 2016. Ivan Eröd composed a triple clarinet concerto for The Clarinotts, who premiered the work with the Vienna Philharmonic in January 2016.
Ottensamer died after a heart attack on 22 July 2017. His widow Cecilia and his sons survive him.
