Jansa Duo, a string duo founded in December 2006 by Christine Rox and Klaus-Dieter Brandt, blends the principles of authentic performance with the accomplishments of contemporary practice. Brilliant Virtuosity and a keen historical sensibility form the basis of the ensemble’s approach to the highly diverse repertoire for violin and violoncello.

The rediscovery of nine Duos for violin and violoncello by Heinrich Anton Hoffmann (1770–1842) was the starting point for a deeper examination of music for a combination of instruments that enjoyed tremendous popularity with composers, musicians and audiences from the early Classical to late Romantic period.

The string duo repertoire continued to grow during the first half of the twentieth century with works by both famous and less well-known, even persecuted composers.

A recording of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trios played on period instruments was released in September 2009 on the ARS Produktion label. A second recording with works by Schulhoff, Bachrich, Moór, Moser and Toch appeared in January 2010.

Leopold Jansa was an important 19th-century composer and violin virtuoso. Jansa was sought after as a principal, teacher and composer in Vienna and played an important role in educating the public and several generations of musicians.

Christine Rox received her first violin lessons at the age of five. Following successes at the Max Rostal Competition in Berne, Switzerland, at Concours Jacques Thibaud in Paris and at the Deutsche Musikwettbewerb, Christine studied with Igor Ozim at the University of Music in Cologne. A DAAD stipend enabled her to continue her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with William Preucil, the principal violinist of the Cleveland Quartet.

Her creative efforts are centered around the practice of historically informed performance and new approaches to the interpretation of contemporary music. Rox has performed throughout Europe, the United States and Asia, appearing with ensembles such as Musica Antiqua Köln and Ensemble Modern.Rox is a founding member of "Alte Musik Köln", an ensemble devoted to authentic performance with repertoire spanning from the Baroque to the Romantic era.

Klaus-Dieter Brandt received lessons on the violoncello at age six with Ulrich Voss in Saarbrücken. Following early successes at a number of music competitions, Brandt took master classes with Klaus Storck and Karine Georgian.

Brandt continued his studies with Klaus Kanngießer and Rainer Zipperling in Cologne and Frankfurt and with Roël Dieltiens in Louvain, Belgium where was awarded the concert diploma. He continued his period performance studies with Ilton Wjuniski in Paris.

Brandt’s main field of interest is the study of historical performance practice and performance aesthetics from the period of the Baroque to the early 20th Century.

Motivated by his fascination with the particular qualities of period instruments from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic period, Brandt began to restore and reconstruct historical string instruments.

As a member of leading chamber music and period music ensembles, most recently as solo cellist for Musica Antiqua Köln, Brandt has toured throughout Europe, North and South America and Asia and has been featured on numerous CD recordings and live broadcasts.

In 2006 Brandt founded Alte Musik Köln, a period music ensemble with a repertoire ranging from the early Baroque to the Romantic era. Together with violinist Christine Rox, Brandt explores the highly diverse repertoire for violin and violoncello.