CARION | the most innovative woodwind quintet

Who are we?

Carion Wind Quintet

CARION Wind Quintet: Redefining Chamber Music

The prize-winning Danish-Latvian ensemble brings a truly unique and innovative chamber music experience to audiences worldwide. CARION fascinates with its carefully choreographed and dramatized performances of classical and modern works, making music on stage visible, thus adding a new dimension to traditional concert events.

By performing completely from memory, the five musicians break down the invisible wall between the stage and the auditorium. Without the physical barrier of sheet music, the ensemble moves with total freedom, allowing the inner architecture of the music to express itself through synchronized movement and theatrical chemistry.

“No chairs. No music stands, nothing. The way Carion fill the stage with musical and emotional content is something remarkable”
– Allgemeine Zeitung

Visual Counterpoint and Sonic Brilliance

CARION’s innovative approach goes far beyond mere staging; it is a masterclass in visual counterpoint. Audiences can actually follow the musical dialogue as it passes from the flute to the horn, or from the oboe to the clarinet and bassoon. The structural layers of the composition become alive and visible to the naked eye. This extraordinary combination of flawless sonic brilliance and striking visual communication makes their performances universally accessible, captivating both seasoned concertgoers and new audiences alike.

An Award-Winning Global Presence

With a busy international touring schedule, CARION has brought its groundbreaking concept to prestigious festivals and concert halls across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The ensemble’s critically acclaimed recordings have earned top praise from international music critics, solidifying their reputation as one of the most exciting and forward-thinking wind quintets of the modern era.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

26. JULY • Odsherreds Kammermusikfestival
27. JULY • Odsherreds Kammermusikfestival
28. JULY • Odsherreds Kammermusikfestival
29. JULY • Odsherreds Kammermusikfestival
30. JULY • Odsherreds Kammermusikfestival
9. AUG • Glyvra Church, Faroe Islands
10. AUG • Finsens, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
8. SEP • Musikhuset Aarhus
FEB 2027 • USA Tour

?? Next Stop: Summartónar Festival, Faroe Islands! ??
We are incredibly excited to travel north this August to perform at the renowned Summartónar Festival! This wonderful festival is celebrated for weaving contemporary and classical music into the wild, dramatic landscapes of the Faroe Islands. We will be bringing our unique, memorized, and dramatized chamber music experience to two fantastic venues: the serene acoustic…
Summer, Chamber Music, and Beautiful Settings
We are thrilled to announce that CARION is the resident ensemble at this year’s wonderful Odsherreds Kammermusikfestival, taking place from July 26th to 31st! ? A World Premiere at Sea ? A truly special highlight of this festival will be the world premiere of Cathedral of the Seas, a brand-new work composed specifically for us…
? Our First-Ever Live Q&A Stream on YouTube! ?
While on our latest US tour—which took us to incredible audiences across Texas, Indiana, South Carolina, and California—we took a moment between traveling and performing to host our very first live Q&A session right here on YouTube! Streaming directly from San Francisco, we had a wonderful time answering your fantastic questions from the chat, discussing…

What we can do

Programs

Echoes of the Wind: From Classical Brilliance to Oceanic Vistas

Join the internationally acclaimed Carion Wind Quintet for a breathtaking concert experience where music is not just heard, but seen. Known for their dynamic, memorized performances and theatrical stage presence, Carion brings a thrilling program to life. From the biting wit of Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles and the timeless brilliance of Beethoven and Paganini, to the rustic charm of Warlock’s Capriol Suite. The concert also features the poetic textures of Vasks’ Music for Fleeting Birds and a stunning new work, Cathedral of the Seas, by Faroese composer Eli Tausen á Lava. Don’t miss this extraordinary musical journey!

Video

LIGETI - SIX BAGATELLES

KLEZMER DANCES

NIELSEN - QUINTET OP. 43

VIVALDI / BACH - CONCERTO IN D-MINOR, III. ALLEGRO

VASKS - MUSIC FOR THE FLEETING BIRDS (1977)

MOZART - VOI CHE SAPETE

SHOSTAKOVICH - WALTZ NO. 2

LISZT - GRANDES ETUDES DE PAGANINI, NO. 6

STRAVINSKY - SUITE NO. 2

“I haven’t heard anybody else do it quite as markedly. It’s really the most pointedly characterized I’ve heard…”

BBC Radio 3
“If everyone approached an anniversary year like Carion and Odradek have here, our listening would be infinitely richer.”

Andrew Mellor, Gramophone
“The players, all secure in technique and beautiful in tone, combine with immaculate attack, balance and tuning, as well as a sense of shared purpose. Performance – 5 stars”

Anthony Burton, BBC Magazine
“By following in Nielsen’s footsteps, the Ensemble Carion themselves leave big shoes to fill. I only wish other ensembles will follow suit.”

Tobias W. Pfleger, Klassik.com
“CARION is very, very good…

One of the most characterful performances of the Nielsen Quintet that I have heard of late.”

Ronald E. Grames - Fanfare Magazine
”These young players are just the best there is and I am honored and indeed very lucky to have been given the chance to play with them.”

Sir James Galway
“Wind quintet Carion’s latest recording is a discographic sensation. Even though you cannot actually see the musicians – their presentation is so vibrant that you will be swept away by their enthusiasm and expression. Highly recommended!”

Tobias W. Pfleger, Klassik.com
“Strong soloists and festive live ensemble!

Our selection for the CD of the week, no question about it.”

Danish Radio P2
“Wind music can be so surprisingly

beautiful and diverse!”

Art Cobbers, klassik-newsletter.de
“Ensemble CARION is creative and unconventional, but they play on highest technical level. I’m absolutely sure that next time CARION gives a “Schauspiel” performance on stage, I’II be sitting in the first row see and hear it.”

Deutschlandradio
“It makes you want for more and irresistibly

invites to a concert.”

Ulrike Henningsen, NDR Kultur
“An empty stage. No chairs. No music stands. Nothing. Though one has to see and hear how Carion fills the stage with most exquisit musical components…”

Birgit Jürgens, Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung