Erik Gøsta Ilmari Zeppezauer

Erik Zeppezauer was born in 1964 in Uppsala. He studied at the Ingesund Academy of Music in Arvika, Sweden with Bjørn F Holmvik and Karel Netolica, and with Duncan McTier in London as a post graduate student at the Orchestra Academy the National Center for Orchestral Studies.

His career began in the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra – where he in 1987, at the age of 22, was hired as a Sub-Principal bassist. He made his solo-debut in 1990 supported by ´Concerts Norway´, with Kjetil Haugsand on harpsichord and with Anders Brunsvik at the Grand Piano. In addition to Schubert's Arpeggione-sonata, the program included two commissioned works by composers Antonio Bibalo and Randall Meyers. Both works were recorded and CD produced by Erik Kongshaug at Rainbow studio the same year.

Following his solo-debut Zeppezauer performed as soloist with ´The Norwegian Winds´ in Concertgebouw (broadcasted live on Dutch Radio), he made live recordings performing the Schubert's Arpeggione-sonata (on NRK) and performed in chamber music concerts during the Edinburgh Festival.

In 1992 Zeppezauer moved to Copenhagen where he worked as a Principal Bassist in the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Further on he had the position as Principal Solo Bassist in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (under Simon Rattle) before he became a member of the Munich Philharmonic in 1995 – under the direction of Sergiu Celibidache.

He was a permanent member of the Norwegian Baroque Orchestra from its inception in 1989 until the ensemble's dissolution very recently. Throughout his career he has had a close and intense relationship with the early music community in Europe and Scandinavia.  During his time in Germany he was a regular member of the Hofkapelle Munich and regularly played with La Stagione Frankfurt, Kölner Akademie, Collegium Carthusianum, Drottningholm Schlottsteater and Concerto Copenhagen, to name a few.

Since October 2010, Erik Zeppezauer has been the Principal Solo Bassist in Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra.  He also teaches at the University of Agder – Institute of Music, both as a master teacher of double bass and as a teacher of chamber music. Between 1992 and 2002 he taught at the Malmö Academy of Music, Sweden.

As a chamber musician and soloist he has been very active throughout his career. His solo performances with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra include Nino Rotas Divertimento Concertante for Double Bass and Orchestra in 2012 and Dittersdorf Concerto number 2 in E flat Major in June 2020.

Zeppezauer specialises in the early repertoire from the Eighteenth Century. His Venetian bass from 1750 is rigged as a fretted five-stringed instrument which he plays with original Viennese tuning – the dominant way of tuning four- and five-string (16-foot) instruments during most of the 18th century, from Haydn's time all the way to Schubert.