Erich Traxler
As a harpsichordist and organist, he primarily focuses on music from approximately 1600 to 1800. His main focus in interpretation is on exploring the "musical craft" as the basis for musical creation in the Baroque era, as well as the direct language in music up to the 19th century.

His concert activities include appearances both as a soloist on the harpsichord and organ and as a chamber musician with various ensembles (including L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra, Ars Antiqua Austria, Accentus Austria, Venice Baroque Orchestra, and Ensemble Castor). Tours to date have taken him to most European countries, as well as to the USA, South America, South Africa, South Korea, and Japan. Numerous CD and radio recordings document his work.

Erich Traxler received his musical training in Linz and Vienna, among others. with Michael Radulescu, August Humer, Wolfgang Glüxam, Gordon Murray, Brett Leighton, and Augusta Campagne. Postgraduate studies took him to Basel at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he received important inspiration from musicians such as Andrea Marcon, Wolfgang Zerer, Jean-Claude Zehnder, and Jesper Christensen. As an organist, he won first prizes at international organ competitions (Goldrain/Italy 2003, Bochum/Germany 2005).

From 2013 to 2018, Erich Traxler taught a harpsichord class at the Music and Arts University Vienna (MUK). Since 2018, he has been a professor of harpsichord at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw).

The Ensemble Castor,
founded in 2010 by internationally successful Austrian musicians specializing in early music, is primarily dedicated to string chamber music between 1600 and 1750. Particular interest lies in the Italian Seicento, the music surrounding Venice in the 18th century, as well as rarities from Upper Austria and Bavaria.

The musical director is Linz violinist Petra Samhaber-Eckhardt.

The first CD, "Discorsi Musicali," featuring music from the Munich court, was released in December 2014 and has already received considerable media and radio attention. A close collaboration with star violinist Enrico Onofri, one of the world's leading Baroque violinists, has also been established since 2014.

Several projects with internationally acclaimed singers such as Silvia Frigato, Mireille Lebel, Ida Aldrian, Christina Gansch, Günter Haumer, Maria Erlacher, and Markus Forster have led Castor to cantatas of the German and Italian Baroque periods, as well as to Bach's cantata works.

The Castor Ensemble has already performed at numerous international festivals (including the Donaufestwochen Strudengau, Brunnenthaler Konzertsommer, Internationale Barocktage Melk, Fränkischer Sommer, Festival St. Gallen, Salzkammergut Festwochen, Carinthischer Sommer). Castor also explores classical music on the fortepiano and has already enjoyed a successful concert series in the famous piano collection at Kremsegg Castle. In February 2017, Castor recorded a CD there with works by Mozart and Haydn, which was released in May by SONY "deutsche harmonia mundi" and has already received many excellent reviews.

In 2015, Ensemble Castor won the City of Linz Cultural Prize.

Future projects will take Ensemble Castor to Italy and Germany.

Ensemble Castor has repeatedly received excellent reviews ("The young, elite Upper Austrian ensemble offered brilliant interpretations...", "Ensemble Castor brings old music to life.")

The ensemble's name refers to the pair of stars Castor and Pollux, with Castor being the second brightest star in the constellation Gemini. Rameau's opera of the same name is one of his most wonderful works.

Petra Samhaber-Eckhardt
Born in Linz, Petra Samhaber-Eckhardt initially studied violin at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, where she discovered her love of baroque music and the baroque violin very early on. After graduating from Salzburg, she continued her baroque violin studies with Andrew Manze and Ingid Seifert at the Royal College of Music in London, where she completed her postgraduate studies with distinction.

During her stay in London, she also won two first prizes in competitions (UK Early Music), and she was invited to the BBC Music Awards finals in Manchester with the successful ensemble Puttanesca.

In June 2012, she completed her master's degree with Michi Gaigg in Linz with distinction and with Enrico Onofri in Italy in 2017.

She is the director of the now highly successful Ensemble Castor and a sought-after concertmaster both at home and abroad. In 2016, she was invited for the first time as concertmaster at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.