Helmut Winschermann

Helmut Winschermann (; 22 March 1920 – 4 March 2021 ) was a German classical oboist, conductor and academic teacher who founded the Deutsche Bachsolisten ensemble for historically informed performances, and was their conductor from 1960 until his death. They made many recordings and toured internationally, especially to Japan.

Life and career Winschermann was born in Mülheim an der Ruhr in 1920. He studied also at the Conservatoire de Paris.

With the flautist Kurt Redel and harpsichordist Irmgard Lechner, he was a co-founder of the chamber music ensemble Collegium Pro Arte, later called the Collegium Instrumentale Detmold.

In 1956 he was appointed principal chair of the oboe department at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, having taught there since 1948 when the institution was founded. He held the professorship until his retirement in 1985. He maintained a touring schedule as a soloist, and frequently collaborated with the Cappella Coloniensis, the conducted by Karl Ristenpart, and Karl Münchinger's Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.

Winschermann founded the instrumental ensemble Deutsche Bachsolisten in 1960, in order to provide historically informed performances of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his baroque contemporaries. He initially divided his time between playing the oboe and conducting the group, but later focussed on conducting solely. He was found dead at his home in Bonn on 4 March 2021, eighteen days short of his 101st birthday.

Honours In 1970, Winschermann was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1992, he was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2013, he received the Telemann Prize of Magdeburg.