Ernst Ottensamer was born in in Upper Austria in 1955. He studied at the University of music in Vienna and graduated with distinction. In 1979, he was engaged to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchastra. Since 1983 he is the principal clarinet player of this orchestra.
In 1986, he began to teach at the University of music in Vienna and in 2000 he was appointed Professor.
Being concert-coloist and member of different chamber music ensembles was very important for his career. He is the founder of various chamber ensembles: The Vienna Virtuosen, the Vienna Bläserensemble and the Vienna Solistentrio. Many concert tours and as a guest at international festivals in Austria, Overseas and cultural centres complete his life as an artist.
He solistically performed with different orchestras: Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Academy of London, Tokyo Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Osaka Century Orchestra, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, State Philharmonic Karlsruhe a.s.o. conducted by Maestri such as: Philippe Entremont, Sándor Végh, Hellmuth Rilling, Leopold Hager, Katsushi Ono, Hans Graf...
Being soloist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, he performed in their subscription concert series under Zubin Mehta and Sir Colin Davis playing concertos by Mozart and Weber.
At the Salzburg Festival he was soloist under John E. Gardiner, and at the Mozart Week Salzburg he performed under Leopold Hager with Mozart’s Concerto.
At the occasion of the only-ever-appearance of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Easter Festival in Salzburg, he performed C. M. v. Weber’s second Clarinet Concert under Sir Colin Davis' baton.