Announcing Made in Germany, from San Antonio, Texas-based Olmos Ensemble, the first in an exciting series of albums to be released on Divine Art Records. Originally formed by principal players of the San Antonio Symphony, Olmos Ensemble has established itself as one of the premier chamber music organizations in Texas, and features leading musicians from across the United States. Made in Germany will be released on August 7, 2026 as they open their 32nd Season on August 9.
Made in Germany features three composers of German origin: Richard Strauss, Rudolf Tillmetz, and Ruth Schonthal. The album includes the first recording of Laszlo Varga’s highly regarded arrangement of Strauss’ Don Quixote for six instruments: clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello and piano, which includes every core member of Olmos Ensemble apart from flute. As the original primary voices in the larger orchestrated work (all but piano), these six instruments work wonderfully together in recreating the thrilling tale of Don Quixote. Also included is the first professional recording of Rudolf Tillmetz’s chamber work, the Nocturne for Flute, Horn, and Piano, Op. 31. One of the few Romantic-era trios for this unusual instrumentation, the piece reflects the salon music tradition of late 19th-century Germany, emphasizing lyrical writing and equal interplay between instruments, and although not widely known is a valuable work in the horn and flute chamber music repertoire. German-born Jewish composer, Ruth Schonthal fled Nazi persecution early in her life, first moving to Mexico and later America to study with Paul Hindemith. The album leads off with a rare recording of her late-career Theme and Variations for Solo Flute, which distills her lifelong commitment to melodic expressiveness and emotional narrative into a unique work for solo flute.
“Olmos Ensemble is thrilled for the release of Made in Germany, the organization’s first album on the Divine Art label,” said Olmos Ensemble Executive Director, Rachel Ferris. “Olmos Ensemble continues our commitment to provide transformative performances to our community of San Antonio and South Texas, as we have for more than three decades. We excitedly look forward to expanding our reach and sharing this unique album with music lovers around the world. Thank you to our Executive Producers Steven Alan Bennett & Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt for their generous support of this project, and to everyone at Divine Art Records and First Inversion for their stewardship and guidance.”
Olmos Ensemble joins Austin-based choir Conspirare and pianist Andrew Brownell on the growing roster of Texas artists on Divine Art Records. “When First Inversion acquired Divine Art Records, we knew one of our focuses would be to use the label’s international reputation to shine a spotlight on the incredible artistry happening in our own home state of Texas,” said First Inversion Executive Director, David Weuste. “Olmos Ensemble has featured some of the top musicians from across the United States for over 30 years, and we can’t wait to showcase this South Texas gem on the international stage through their ambitious new recording series.”
Each album in the series will feature works of varied instrumentation, creating a unique collection of recorded chamber repertoire that only an ensemble like Olmos — through their remarkable access to top musicians around the United States — can bring together. The Ensemble’s concert programming has won great acclaim for its focus on showcasing neglected works by female composers, and Olmos is bringing this to their recordings as well, with each album in the series featuring works by women composers, including many premieres.
“We are excited to record music that has never before been paired together on an album and present to the classical music loving public a unique set of all-encompassing recordings that will range from solo works through nonets and beyond,” –Mark Teplitsky, Olmos Ensemble Artist Director
This new series is supported by Sponsors and Executive Producers, Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt, who shared, “We are delighted we could support this extraordinary group of musicians in showcasing unique and lesser known works. The remarkable quality of these players combined with the unique character of the recorded works was an irresistible combination.”
Members of Olmos Ensemble on this recording are: Artistic Director Mark Teplitsky, violinist Eric Gratz, clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg, cellist Julian Schwarz, hornist Jeff Garza, with guest artists: violist Colin Brookes, and pianist Elizabeth Dorman.
Album: Made in Germany (DDX 21151)
Artists: Olmos Ensemble
Composers: Ruth Schonthalm, Rudolf Tillmetz and Richard Strauss
Label: Divine Art Records
Release Date: August 7, 2026
Olmos Ensemble’s 32nd Season Launches August 9, 2026
Olmos Ensemble will launch its 32nd season in August 2026, continuing its longstanding tradition as one of San Antonio’s premier chamber music organizations. Centered around five core musicians, the ensemble is proud to present eight concerts during the 2026–2027 season: four performances in the Summer Concert Series this August, followed by four additional concerts in the Fall/Spring Series running through May 2027.
The upcoming season offers a rich and varied journey through the literature of chamber music, from Baroque concerti led by harpsichordist Ian Pritchard, to the world premiere of a new work written for the ensemble by acclaimed composer Miguel del Águila.
Featured guest artists for the season include pianists Anton Nel, John Novacek, and Tamila Salimdjanova; violist Paul Coletti; violinists Will Hagen, Sandy Yamamoto, and Zachary DePue; harpsichordist Ian Pritchard; and renowned theorbo specialist John Lenti. Additional guest performers will join from leading ensembles including the Oregon Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, The Florida Orchestra, Formosa Quartet, and the Amernet String Quartet. Programs range in size from solo works through nonets and include repertoire by Bach, Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Rossini, Barber, Ravel and Mendelssohn as well as rare gems by composers such as Foerster, Vignery, Rubinstein, Bates, del Águila, Kapralova, Villa-Lobos, M. Haydn and Elizabeth Brown.
The August 9th launch concert, will launch the Made In Germany album in partnership with Divine Art Recordings. Featuring four distinct programs, Olmos Ensemble’s Summer Concert Series provides an ideal setting to introduce a recording release that reflects the ensemble’s versatility and commitment to uncovering distinctive chamber music masterpieces:
Our first Summer concert inaugurates Olmos Ensemble’s new five-year recital series, showcasing each of the five core members. It features Oregon Symphony Principal Horn, Jeff Garza, alongside acclaimed pianist John Novacek and violinist Sandy Yamamoto in a program of works by Bates, Vignery, Messiaen, and Brahms.
The second Sunday performance welcomes renowned theorbo specialist John Lenti together with Colburn School faculty member and harpsichordist Ian Pritchard for an evening of Baroque trio sonatas, joined by Olmos Ensemble core artists Mark Teplitsky, flute, and Eric Gratz, violin.
The third concert spotlights Uzbekistan-born pianist Tamila Salimdjanova in a program centered on Rubinstein’s Quintet for Piano and Winds, with guest bassoonist Maggie O’Leary of The Florida Orchestra.
Concluding the August series is a program featuring Mozart’s beloved Clarinet Quintet alongside string quartets by Barber and Borodin with core members Ilya Shterenberg (clarinet), Eric Gratz (violin) and Julian Schwarz (cello).