August Wenzinger

August Wenzinger was a Swiss cellist, violist da gamba, and conductor who pioneered the early music revival. After studying at the Basel Conservatory and in Cologne, he mastered the viola da gamba by 1925. He served as principal cellist for the Bremen Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Basel Symphony Orchestra until 1970. In 1933, he co-founded the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the ensemble Kammermusikkreis Scheck-Wenzinger. His pedagogical influence extended to Harvard and Brandeis universities. As a conductor, he led landmark recordings including the Brandenburg Concertos (1953) and Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo (1955). Wenzinger’s career was defined by his commitment to historical performance practice and the restoration of period instruments to the concert stage. He remained an active musical figure until his death in 1996.