Fascinated by Spain’s unique, multicultural substrate that enriched the entire Renaissance music of the country, Accentus Austria has focused on early Spanish music since its foundation in 1992. Their repertoire extends from orally transmitted traditional music of the 16th century, both sacred and secular, to the soloistic baroque music of the late 17th century. A second focal point of their repertoire is the 16 th and 17 th century music of the Austrian Empire. No less multicultural, this period saw the unification of artistic currents from Germany, the Low Countries, Spain, Italy, Hungary, and even from the Ottoman Empire – an exceedingly fruitful mixture which retained its driving force well after the Classical period. Accentus Austria appears as an ensemble of variable composition; the number of musicians ranges from three to seventeen according to programmes. The ensemble performed in the scenical stage production of “The Lament of Arianna” at the Teatro Apollon in Patras, the European Cultural Capital of 2006.

Thomas Wimmer was born in Austria. He studied viola da gamba in Vienna and continued on to study renaissance gamba, vihuela d'arco and fiddle. He founded Accentus Austria in 1992. He teaches at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität and holds courses on early stringed instruments at the Tschaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. At present he is working on a CD series devoted to unreleased Spanish baroque music.

César Carazo was born in Badajoz, Spain. He studied singing in the Escuela Superior de Madrid. He has performed as a soloist in many oratories to date. He created The Quarteto de Urueña with Luis Delgado, dedicated to the Medieval music in 1999.

Michael Posch was born in Austria in 1969. He graduated from Kärntner Landeskonservatorium in Klagenfurt with distinction in 1989. He has been the director of Ensemble Unicorn since 1991. He is the head of the Department of Early Music at the Konservatorium Wien University.

Hannelore Devaere has studied historical harp at the Akademie für alte Musik in, Bremen. She is a musicologist specializing in the 16 th and 17 th century iconography and organology. Hannelore was the first harpist on record to perform on the ice cap in Antarctica and has a landing spot under her own name.

Pierre Pitzl was born in 1965, studied guitar at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, receiving his soloist diploma with honors in 1984. He is the director of the ensemble Private Musick, and teaches viola da gamba at the Conservatory in Vienna.

Karim Othman Hassan was born in Berlin in 1969. He has worked with ensembles playing Early European Music, Ottoman Music, Iraqi Maquam, and jazz. He lives in Krems working as a lute maker, gives lessons on Oud, spike fiddle Kemanje, reedflute nay and clarinet, and composes modern music.

Esmail Vasseghi was born in 1946 in Täbriz, Iran. He studied instruments like tombak, santur, and piano. He continued his studies at the Music University in Vienna, focusing on harmony and composition. He has performed with the Orchestre National de Lyon, YoYo Ma, Toni Stricker, and Clemencic Consort.

Luis Delgado was born in Madrid in 1956 and has devoted his life to the interpretation of music, composition and research. He is the author of numerous soundtracks on Andalusian and medieval music. His music is frequently featured in documentaries and movies; among them is "The Kingdom of Heaven".

Wolfgang Reithofer was born in Neunkirchen, Austria. He studied percussion at the University of Vienna and at the Vienna Jazz Conservatory. He has been engaged as a drummer in the orchestra of the “Wiener Volksoper” since 1976, and has performed with the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Wiener Symphoniker.