Lesley Olson, born in Chicago/USA, studied flute with Alexander Murray. Further master classes with Istvan Matuz, Harvey Sollberger, Heinz Holliger and others. Composition with Herbert Brün at the University of Illinois where she received the Master of Music in 1983 and subsequently taught flute. After touring the German-speaking countries with the "Performers' Workshop Ensemble", an Urbana, Illinois-based ensemble for new music, she settled in 1990 in Germany. Ms. Olson was awarded her DMA in 1998 from the University of Illinois with a dissertation on "The Pedagogy of Contemporary Flute Music". Specialist for new music, particularly new sound possibilities on the flute, graphic notation, interaction with computer/electronics, Japanese and Japanese-influenced European flute music, and the pedagogy of contemporary music. Numerous premiere performances and appearances at international music festivals such as "Inventionen"/Berlin, "Ex Machina"/Essen, "Frankfurter Fest", "International Computer Music Conference", "documenta IX"/Kassel, "USArts"/Berlin, "Trapezium"/The Hague and Amsterdam, "25 Jahre Feedback Studios"/Cologne, "World Music Days"/Essen, "Tussen de Oren" at STEIM/Amsterdam, "November Music Festival"/'s Hertogenbosch, Gent, Eindhoven and Utrecht. Tours and concerts in South America, Japan, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and throughout the US. Several solo and ensemble recordings for radio, television and CD, including music for flute and percussion (AufRuhr Records) and four of her compositions for flute (berslton). Founded the Wolpe Trio in 1992 with Scott Roller and Susanne Achilles. Since then over 15 works premiered, CD in preparation (cybele). Many performance projects with the percussionist Stephan Froleyks, Schreck Ensemble/Amsterdam (instrumental with live computer interaction), Kalaïs flute quartet, and other ensembles. Conception and management of an exhibition of modern notation forms (with Sylvia Smith) and an accompanying concert series for the program of the Documenta IX in Kassel, 1992. In the same year she led a seminar on graphic notation in new music at the Folkwang-Hochschule Essen. Coordinated and participated in nine instruction teams for the "Response" composition project with public school students (sponsored by the Hessian Ministry for Culture, recorded and broadcast by Hessian Radio) in 1996 and 1998. Artistic co-director of the "Open Systems" festival of new and improvised music 1997 in four cities in the Ruhr region. She has been on the board of the Ruhr chapter of the International Society for Contemporary Music since 1996. Flute teacher at the Gesamthochschule/Universität Kassel since 1990; since 1992 seminar instructor on topics of modern music (graphic notation and open form, new music in the schools, modern French music, the works of John Cage etc.).

Scott Roller was born 1959 in Amarillo, Texas into a family of musicians. Musical experiences from earliest childhood on with violin, piano, cello - later also with guitar, bassoon, synthesizers and percussion in a wide variety of ensemble situations - formed a practical basis for later performance, improvisational and compositional activities. In addition to classical music, interest in new music, rock and jazz awakened in 1971, with his first compositional attempts dating from that time. This stylistically eclectic approach to music-making has, over the years, exerted a significant influence on his musical and personal development. Cello, composition and university studies from 1976 to 1981 at the University of Texas at Austin, L'Ecole Normale de Musique (Paris) and North Texas State University (Denton), supported by numerous scholarships and grants. Cello studies with Paul Olefsky, Michel Tournus, Dimitry Markevitch and Lev Aronsen. Composition and instrumentation with Eugene Kurtz, Donald Erb, Donald Grantham, and Kent Kennan. Significant impulses in new music ensemble work from Dan Welcher and others in Austin and from seminars and concerts in Paris (Xenakis, Berio, Boulez). 1980 - 1983 : intensive work with the BL Lacerta improvisation quartet in Dallas, Texas. Numerous concerts, radio and television appearances, workshops, residencies, studio work, teaching. Cooperative productions with well-known artists (including John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Larry Austin) of divergent media (painting, dance, poetry, performance art). Grants from state and national agencies, including Texas Commission on the Arts, Chamber Music America, the Atlantic-Richfield Foundation, the National Endowment, among others. In 1983, together with the poet Richard Bodien, creation of Cheating Death, an extended work (with a duration of 80 minutes) for poet, multi-instrumentalist and 4-track tape, which marked a new beginning compositionally. German resident since 1984, initially in Stuttgart, then Essen. Beginning of collaborations with the trombonist Michael Svoboda (Stuttgart), organist Sandro Müller (Wuppertal), Ensemble avance. Further composition studies with Berthold Hummel and Nicolaus A. Huber. Member of the Dortmund Philharmonic from 1987-89 - work with many other orchestras. Since 1991, active with diverse ensembles, especially Musikfabrik NRW (Düsseldorf) and Ensemble 20/Der Gelbe Klang (Stuttgart). Many projects with the organist, composer, improviser Gary Verkade (such as the improvisation group Synthese). In 1992, formation of the WOLPE TRIO with Susanne Achilles and Lesley Olson. Represented as a composer and cellist in many radio recordings and on several CDs. Commissions from state, regional and private agencies. Performances on significant festivals of contemporary music in Germany, Holland, England, Italy, Finland, Portugal, Croatia, Mexico and in the USA. His works have been performed throughout Europe, in Japan, Scandinavia and North America. Lives in Essen, Germany with his wife and three children.

Susanne Achilles was born in Bochum/Germany. She began her secondary education at the Folkwang-Hochschule (music education, piano major with Ludger Maxsein) and passed her state exam with honors. She continued her studies at the Musikhochschule Hamburg, studying with the Brazilian pianist Yara Bernette, music analysis with György Ligeti and accompaniment with Aribert Reimann; soloist exam in 1984. Further masterclass studies with Paul Badura-Skoda in Vienna and Fausto Zadra in Rome. 1982 first concert appearances beginning in Germany, later also in other European countries. Gradually she concentrated on contemporary literature. Her present repertory represents a wide diversity of contemporary styles including solistic and ensemble music and many works with electronics/computer. Over the years numerous premiere performances (including several dedicated to her); close work together with various composers. She appeared as soloist at renown music festivals in Germany and abroad, such as Music Festival in Deutschlandfunk/Cologne, "Music and Computer"/Basel, "Internationales Festival für Elektronische Musik"/Tokyo, "PAN-Musikfestival"/Seoul, "Warsaw Autumn"/ Warsaw, "INSELmusik" in Radio Free Berlin/Berlin, "Folkwang Festival of the Arts"/Essen, "Inventionen"/Berlin, "ICMC"/The Hague, "Genfer Sommer"/Genf, "Computermusik"/Dusseldorf, Ijsbreker/Amsterdam, "Musik auf dem 49sten"/Karlsruhe, "ruhrworks"/New York, "musica verticale"/Rome, "Ex machina"/Essen. Active chamber music involvement with music of all periods. Performs with several ensembles: Henze Ensemble, Ensemble V, Ensemble Intérieurs and others; duo projects with musicians such as Christoph Caskel, percussion (Cologne), Frances-Marie Uitti , cello (Amsterdam), Ludger Maxsein, piano (Essen) and several others. 1992 founded the WOLPE TRIO with Lesley Olson, flute and Scott Roller, cello. Susanne Achilles teaches as piano instructor at the Folkwang-Hochschule Essen.