Thomas
Guthoff

Thomas Guthoff is the musical heart of Cologne’s traditional “Zillche”. Every year, the versatile musician arranges the music for the orchestra, band and choir of Cäcilia Wolkenburg at Oper Köln, a role he has held since 2002. The distinctive character of the “Divertissementchen” is shaped significantly by his talent for boldly and harmoniously weaving together a wide range of musical genres in rapid succession.

Born in 1961, the musician can look back on a career spanning more than 40 years. He laid the foundations for his career by studying piano at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen and church music at the Kirchenmusik-Seminar in Essen. Today, he works successfully as a pianist and keyboard player, composer and arranger, sound engineer and piano teacher, musical director and répétiteur.

Guthoff’s expertise is sought after beyond the region. He has worked with renowned orchestras and broadcasters, including the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Gürzenich-Orchester, WDR Köln and RTL.

He is also productive in his own recording studio, which includes a music publishing company and a record label: Since 1987, more than 150 CD productions in the fields of classical music, jazz, rock/pop, popular music and relaxation music have been created there. On stage and in the studio, he has accompanied a long list of national and international stars, including Udo Lindenberg, Karel Gott, Stefanie Heinzmann, Roy Black, Mary Roos and Bill Ramsey.