Ernesto Köhler
Italian flutist and composer (b. 4 December 1849 in Modena; d. 4/17 May 1907 in Saint Petersburg); known in Russia as Ernest Iosifovich Keller (Эрнест Иосифович Кёлер).
Köhler was taught the flute by his father, Venceslau Joseph Köhler, who played the first flute in the Duke of Modena's orchestra. In 1869, after beginning his career as a flautist, he moved to Vienna and then on to Saint Petersburg in 1871, where he remained. He spent his life as a member of the orchestra of the Imperial Opera and as a soloist and composer. He was also a teacher at the Prince Oldenburg Institute and led the orchestra of the Imperial Institute of Engineering. He composed over one hundred works for the flute, as well as an opera and several ballets, and a series of studies on flute playing.
Correspondence with Tchaikovsky
One letter from Tchaikovsky to Ernesto Köhler has survived, dating from 1892, which has been translated into English on this website:
- Letter 4817 – 7/19 December 1892, from Saint Petersburg.
