Claus Löhr · Trumpet · Flugelhorn · Big band direction · Jazz education
loehr.music@gmail.com · www.clausloehr.de
Biography
Jazz trumpeter, bandleader and jazz educator in Hannover – career, recordings and press kit.
biography
Claus Löhr is a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and jazz educator based in Hannover, Germany. His sound is both radiant and warm; he is as much at home in the powerful precision of the lead chair as in the freedom of the soloist, and the flugelhorn is his lyrical second voice.
He studied jazz trumpet at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, as an Erasmus student at Bern University of the Arts – with Bert Joris and Mathieu Michel, and composition with Django Bates among others – and at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim, where he completed his Master of Music with Stephan Zimmermann.
Since September 2018 he has been principal and lead trumpet of the Polizeiorchester Niedersachsen – in the symphonic wind orchestra and the big band. Before that he spent many years in musical productions, including with Stage Entertainment at the Palladium Theater Stuttgart and at the Staatstheater Braunschweig. As a soloist, lead and section trumpeter he has performed with the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 2nd Generation, Fette Hupe, the Wednesday Night Big Band and the Kicks ’n’ Sticks Big Band, among others. He has shared the stage with jazz greats such as Kenny Wheeler, Herbert Joos and Ack van Rooyen; in 2022 the broadcaster NDR recorded a Hannover Big Band concert featuring him as soloist and composer.
Since summer 2024 he has directed the Clean, Fine & Funky Big Band in Hannover; in the quintet jazzkollektiv hannover he plays contemporary jazz with a European signature. His range extends from classic big band jazz and his own compositions for quartet and quintet to crossover projects.
Teaching is his second focus: since 2011 he has worked as a trumpet teacher and jazz educator – at music schools, as a tutor at the Stuttgart music university and as a workshop tutor. At the Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule in Hannover he directs the KKS Kombo, which was rated “outstanding success” at the 2025 “Jugend jazzt” competition.
current
since 2024
Clean, Fine & Funky Big Band, Hannover
Artistic director: programming, rehearsals, concerts
since 2024
Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule Hannover
Director of the KKS Kombo; trumpet coaching for the KKS Big Band
jazzkollektiv hannover
Trumpet and flugelhorn in the quintet
since 2018
Polizeiorchester Niedersachsen
Principal and lead trumpet in the symphonic wind orchestra and the big band; section leader of the high brass; recording and film productions
theatre and musicals
2019–2021
Staatstheater Braunschweig
Musical productions, 1st trumpet
2016–2019
Stage Entertainment, Palladium Theater Stuttgart
Musical productions, 1st and 2nd trumpet
2016
Freilichtbühne Jagsthausen
Musical productions, 1st and 2nd trumpet
2015–2016
Altes Schauspielhaus Stuttgart
Musical productions, 1st trumpet
2012–2013
Theater Heilbronn
Musical productions, 1st and 2nd trumpet
2011–2013
Stadttheater Pforzheim
Musical productions, 1st trumpet
education
2015–2018
Master of Music (performance)
Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim – jazz trumpet with Stephan Zimmermann
2013–2014
Erasmus exchange, jazz trumpet
Bern University of the Arts (HKB) – with Bert Joris and Mathieu Michel; composition with Django Bates, Klaus König, Bert Joris and Frank Sikora
2010–2015
Bachelor of Music (performance and pedagogy)
Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart – jazz trumpet with Christian Meyers, Ralf Hesse and Bastian Stein
before
Lessons
Classical trumpet with Klaus Englert (Würzburg) and Simon Bales (Cologne), jazz trumpet with Klaus Wangorsch (Würzburg)
teaching and directing
since 2011
Trumpet teacher and jazz educator
Music schools in Vaihingen/Enz, Schorndorf, Unteres Remstal and Hannover; tutor for jazz trumpet and big band at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Workshop tutor
including the Landesjugendjazzorchester Schleswig-Holstein, the TU Clausthal big band, the company big bands of Bosch, Daimler and SAP, schools and school big bands
formerly
Conductor
Musikverein Vaihingen and Musikverein Dollbergen (wind bands)
recordings (selection)
2026
jazzkollektiv hannover
Live videos, soloist
2023
Polizeiorchester Niedersachsen
J. S. Bach, “Air” – flugelhorn solo on the charity CD “Niedersachsen Hilft”
2022
NDR: Hannover Big Band feat. Claus Löhr
Live recording, soloist and composer
2018
Bigtown Bandits
“Bigtown Boogie” (EP), lead in the horn section
2018
Eberhard Budziat Big Band
“Remstal Symphonie”, split lead and soloist
2017
SWR – Jazzpreis Herbert Joos
Change of Beauty, live CD/DVD, 2nd trumpet
2017
Michael Kozak Quartett
“Life Is a Greek Tragedy”, soloist
2017
Erpfenbrass
“Hart Verzwungen Vol. 2”, soloist
2017
Antiheld
“Keine Legenden” (pop)
2017
Kicks ’n’ Sticks Big Band
“Das was bleibt”, lead
2014–2018
Marz & Bixtie Boys
Film and audio productions, soloist and horn section
2013
Jonas Winterhalter Big Band
“The Grateful”, lead
2012
HMDK Stuttgart Big Band
“Feeling Good”, lead and soloist
2012
Landesjugendjazzorchester Baden-Württemberg
“Feeling Good”, lead and soloist
has played with (selection)
Kenny Wheeler · Herbert Joos · Ack van Rooyen · United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 2nd Generation · Fette Hupe · Wednesday Night Big Band · Kicks ’n’ Sticks Big Band · Hannover Big Band · Björn Vüllgraf Orchestra · Change of Beauty · Marz & Bixtie Boys · MIKIO · Bigtown Bandits · Jumaa · Antiheld · Erpfenbrass · Blechlabor · Salsa Compania · Eberhard Budziat Big Band · HP Ockert Big Band · Big Band Würzburg · Tobias Becker Bigband · Jonas Winterhalter Big Band
own ensembles
jazzkollektiv hannover · Claus Löhr Quartet and Quintet · Claus Löhr Big Band · World of Trumpet · Plastic Jazz · 343m/s
press kit
These texts and the press photo may be used freely for announcements, programmes and reviews. More photos on request.
Short biography (about 70 words)
Claus Löhr is a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and jazz educator based in Hannover, Germany. He is principal and lead trumpet of the Polizeiorchester Niedersachsen, directs the Clean, Fine & Funky Big Band and plays trumpet and flugelhorn in jazzkollektiv hannover. He studied jazz trumpet in Stuttgart, Bern (with Bert Joris, among others) and Mannheim, and has shared the stage with jazz greats such as Kenny Wheeler, Herbert Joos and Ack van Rooyen.
Biography (about 330 words)
The text above under “biography”, for programmes and press releases.
Downloads
As of Oktober 2026