"On Herding and Dancing" — The State Youth Jazz Orchestra performs under the direction of Michael Leuschner, with baritone saxophonist Tini Thomsen as soloist
Katharina “Tini” Thomsen was a member of the LJJO Hamburg and Bujazzo, and specialized early on in low-register woodwind instruments such as the baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, and contrabass clarinet. She initially studied at the HfMT Hamburg and subsequently continued her training for many years at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
Katharina has performed in numerous productions across various genres, including the “BBC Night of the Proms,” the “MTV Unplugged” tour with Cro, Nils Landgren’s Funk Unit, and as a member of the TV band for “Wer stiehlt mir die Show?” At the heart of these diverse engagements, however, are her own productions with the Metropole Orchestra, the NDR Big Band, and the HR Big Band.
Since 2014, Tini Thomsen has released ten CDs under her own name, including productions with her rock-jazz group MaxSax and a jazz adaptation of “Peter and the Wolf” with Hella von Sinnen.
In 2022 and 2023, Thomsen temporarily traded making music for herding sheep—and discovered in the process that life as a shepherdess and leading a band share a surprising number of parallels.
For the 2026 summer workshop, LaJazzO will be in Gadebusch from August 8–12, 2026, rehearsing under the direction of Michael Leuschner.
