Fabian Otten

Fabian Otten is the principal percussionist of the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg. Born in 1993 in Westfalia Germany, he started to play piano and percussion at the age of six. In search of something which combines these two instruments, he fell in love with the sound of the marimba.

He studied percussion in Hamburg and completed his studies in Berlin with Rainer Seegers, Franz Schindlbeck and Biao Li. As a percussionist and marimbist he won several prizes including the special award of the Bayerischer Rundfunk and 2nd prize at the International Marimba Festiva’Competition.

Composing has always been Otten’s passion. Alongside his percussion studies, he enhanced his knowledge in music theory and took private lessons with professor Fredrik Schwenk. His compositional aim is to increase the repertoire of marimba music which transports emotions and ethical ideas.