“I make music so that people experience emotions – and their everyday life becomes a little more colourful.”

Oles Burak is Principal Trumpet of the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach. As a soloist he performs with organ, piano and orchestra – from festive Baroque music in churches to Romantic and modern repertoire in the concert hall. Since 2024 he has also been principal trumpet of the orchestra’s Baroque Ensemble.

Born in Malyn, Ukraine, in 1996, he received his first trumpet lessons at the age of six at the music school of his home town. From 2011 to 2015 he studied at the Glière Academy of Music in Kyiv, graduating with distinction. He went on to complete a Bachelor’s degree with Prof. Klaus Bräker at the Detmold University of Music and a Master’s degree with Prof. Jürgen Ellensohn at the University of Music Würzburg (2024). Important impulses came from Håkan Hardenberger, Reinhold Friedrich, Gábor Tarkövi, Matthias Höfs, Roman Rindberger, Wim Van Hasselt and Hannes Läubin.

While still a student in Kyiv, he performed with the National Opera of Ukraine, at times also as principal trumpet. From 2017 to 2019 he regularly played principal trumpet with the Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Wernigerode. In 2018 he received the highest prize awarded at the International Juozas Pakalnis Competition in Vilnius and reached the second round of the ARD International Music Competition. In 2019 he won the auditions for principal trumpet of the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker and the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach, where he has played principal trumpet ever since.

Solo performances (selection)
Haydn, Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major – Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Wernigerode, conductor Christian Fitzner
Telemann, Concerto for Three Trumpets – Thuringia Philharmonic
Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Trumpets – with Reinhold Friedrich and the Thuringia Philharmonic
Recital with Reinhold Friedrich – Margarethenkirche, Gotha
Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 – Detmold and Eisenach
Bach, Mass in B minor – several performances in Eisenach, including the Bachfest, and in other German cities
Bach, Cantata “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen” BWV 51 – Bachfest Eisenach

Awards
2022 – Bertold Hummel Competition, Prizewinner – Würzburg
2018 – Int. Juozas Pakalnis Competition, Highest prize awarded – Vilnius · no 1st prize awarded · final with the Musica Humana chamber orchestra
2015 – Ukrainian Trumpet Competition, Grand Prix – Kyiv
2015 – Taras Shevchenko University, Award for chamber music – Kyiv

Festivals & guest engagements
At the Mozartfest Würzburg 2024 he played in Kit Armstrong’s Mozart orchestra in the Imperial Hall of the Würzburg Residence, alongside Jasmine Choi, Ramón Ortega Quero, Sebastian Manz and Theo Plath. In 2026 he appeared in Lithuania at the International Sacred Music Festival “Jubilate” and the Early Music Festival at Panemunė Castle.

Guest engagements include: Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra · Staatskapelle Weimar · Nuremberg State Philharmonic · Braunschweig State Orchestra · Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra · Würth Philharmonic · Jena Philharmonic · Erfurt Philharmonic Orchestra · Loh Orchestra Sondershausen · Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie Herford · Landestheater Detmold · Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz · Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie · Flensburg Symphony Orchestra · Harz Symphony Orchestra · National Opera of Ukraine – and many more.