Biography
Mnozil Brass is a seven-piece Austrian brass ensemble founded in Vienna in 1992, taking their name from the Gasthaus Mnozil, a pub owned by Josef Mnozil near the Vienna Conservatory (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien) at Schottenring. The seven founding members — all graduates of that conservatory — began gathering monthly for informal, unrehearsed jam sessions at the pub, playing polkas, marches, and folk tunes while drinking. The audiences grew so large that by January 1993 the group transitioned to paid professional engagements. The septet has remained unchanged since formation: Thomas Gansch and Robert Rother on trumpet, Roman Rindberger on trumpet, Leonhard Paul on trombone and bass trumpet, Gerhard Füssl and Zoltan Kiss on trombone, and Wilfried Brandstötter on tuba.
Over thirty-plus years, Mnozil Brass has built an extraordinary international career performing over 120 concerts per year across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. Their repertoire spans Baroque to pop, classical to jazz, opera to cabaret — all performed entirely from memory, with no sheet music on stage. Their concerts function as full theatrical productions blending virtuoso playing with Austrian absurdist comedy, slapstick, costumes, and narrative, earning them the nickname "the Monty Python of the music world." Major stage productions include the 2005 work Das Trojanische Boot, billed as "the first operetta of the 21st century," which premiered at the RuhrTriennale and subsequently toured to the Burgtheater Vienna and Komische Oper Berlin. They have released eight studio albums and six DVDs, and composed the score for the 2006 Austrian film Freundschaft.
Mnozil Brass is credited in academic literature on Austrian popular music with fundamentally reshaping what a brass ensemble concert can be — overcoming the formal concert-hall conventions of their training and making brass music viable as entertainment theater. They received the prestigious Salzburger Stier cabaret prize in 2006. Their partnership with Austrian instrument maker Schagerl has produced commercially available signature Mnozil Brass-branded trumpets and trombones. In 2025, the group marked their third decade of continuous performance with their Jubilee touring program, a testament to the remarkable stability and longevity of their original founding lineup.
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Fun Facts
- Named after a real pub: The group takes its name from Gasthaus Mnozil, a pub owned by Josef Mnozil near the Vienna Conservatory. The seven founders never intended to form a professional group — concerts grew organically from drinking sessions into ticketed performances.
- No sheet music, ever: Their entire two-hour concert repertoire — spanning hundreds of pieces from Baroque counterpoint to pop hits — is performed entirely from memory. No music stands appear on stage at any point.
- A 21st-century operetta: Their 2005 production Das Trojanische Boot was programmatically billed as 'the first operetta of the 21st century,' debuting at Germany's prestigious RuhrTriennale festival before touring to the Burgtheater Vienna and Komische Oper Berlin — remarkable venues for a group that started playing pub gigs.
- Signature instruments for sale: Their partnership with Schagerl instrument makers runs so deep that commercially available Mnozil Brass-branded trumpets and trombones are sold through Schagerl's catalog — a rare distinction typically reserved for solo artists rather than ensembles.
Members
- Wilfried Brandstötter - original, tuba (from 1992)
- Gerhard Füßl - original, trombone (from 1992)
- Thomas Gansch - original, trumpet (from 1992)
- Leonhard Paul - original, trombone (from 1992)
- Leonhard Paul - original, trumpet (from 1992)
- Robert Rother - trumpet (from 1996)
- Roman Rindberger - trumpet (from 2004)
- Zoltan Kiss - tenor trombone (from 2005)
Original Members
- Wilfried Brandstötter - original, tuba
- Gerhard Füßl - original, trombone
- Thomas Gansch - original, trumpet
- Leonhard Paul - original, trombone
- Leonhard Paul - original, trumpet
- Robert Rother - trumpet
- Roman Rindberger - trumpet
- Zoltan Kiss - tenor trombone
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Vienna Conservatory Tradition - All seven members trained at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (MDW); the classical conservatory education underpins their technical virtuosity and knowledge of the broader Western music canon
- Central European Brass Tradition - The 1950s Austrian brass band tradition of polkas, marches, and folk dance forms the foundational repertoire and aesthetic sensibility the group emerged from at the Gasthaus Mnozil sessions
Key Collaborators
- Bernd Jeschek - Freelance theater director who has collaborated with Mnozil Brass on multiple major stage productions including Das Trojanische Boot, Ragazzi, Cirque, and other theatrical programs
- Schagerl Instruments - Long-standing partnership with Austrian instrument maker Schagerl, who produces signature Mnozil Brass-branded trumpet and trombone models; Thomas Gansch and Robert Rother grew up near Schagerl's factory in Mank, Lower Austria
Artists Influenced
- Wycliffe Gordon - American jazz trombonist who has expressed admiration for Mnozil Brass and their approach to brass performance and theatricality
External Links
Tags: #brass-band, #classical, #jazz
References
Heard on WWOZ
mnozil brass has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.