The current principal flutist of the WDR Funkhausorchester Köln was born into a family of musicians in 1999. From the age of four she began learning the piano with her mother, and at seven she decided to play her favorite instrument – the flute.
She has been studying the flute since 2010, initially at the Anton Bruckner Private University in the academy for gifted students. Her first flute professor, Prof. Helmut Trawöger, particularly influenced and developed her love for the instrument.
Since then, she has been very fortunate to be constantly taught by experts and personalities in this field, such as Prof. Bernhard Krabatsch (Mozarteum Orchestra) and Raimund Weichenberger (Vienna RSO).
She has been studying with Prof. Erwin Klambauer (Vienna Symphony Orchestra) since 2016, initially in the preparatory course and from 2018 in the regular course. She has been taking piccolo lessons from Anneliese Fuchsluger (Vienna Volksoper) since the age of 15 and has also received private lessons from Karin Bonelli (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). Since October 2019 she has been studying piccolo with Peter Verhoyen (Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra), also at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz-Institut Oberschützen. Since September 2020 she has had regular private lessons with Wolfgang Breinschmid (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). She completed her bachelor’s degree with excellent results in October 2022 and will complete her master’s degree with Prof. Erwin Klambauer in spring 2026.
She has completed numerous masterclasses, including with Karl-Heinz Schütz (Vienna Philharmonic), Michael Martin Kofler and Martin Belic (both Munich Philharmonic), Mathieu Dufour (Berlin Philharmonic), Francesca Canali, Erwin Klambauer and Gaby Pas van Riet (SWR Stuttgart).
Between 2006 and 2017, Marianna won over 24 first prizes at Prima la musica state and national competitions in the categories piano solo, chamber music, flute solo and chamber music in open ensemble. In 2009 she was awarded the Ratzenböck Scholarship.
From 2011 to 2019 she was a member of the successful percussion trio MasemisemA (13 first prizes at Prima la musica, group victory at the national competition Music in Small Groups, 2014 Kiwanis Art Prize Gmunden.
In 2014, she won the Musica Juventutis selection competition, through which she made her debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus in April 2015.
In 2015 she came second at the International Music Competition for Young People in Oldenburg, Germany.
In 2016, she was among the top three in the Eurovision young musicians preliminary round.
In 2017, she was awarded a scholarship by the Eva Lind Music Academy, which enabled her to attend a masterclass with Mathieu Dufour (principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra).
In 2019 she was allowed to record the ballad by Frank Martin for the CD “Best of Rotary Music Award”. She received the Rotary Music Award in 2014.
Concerts have taken her to the Radiokulturhaus Vienna, Brucknerhaus Linz, Sterzing Municipal Theater, Kolarceva Zaduzbina Belgrade, Belgrade Parliament Ballroom, Konzerthaus Vienna, Oldenburg Promenade, Kiwanis Open Air, Kadriorg Castle Tallinn, Palais Meran Graz and others.
Radio broadcasts in Austria 1, program “Intrada”, as well as “Intrada-Best of Musica Juventutis” and television recordings for RTV Serbia.
In November 2019, she successfully auditioned for the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.
In January 2020, she opened the legendary Kitz Race VIP Party in Kitzbühel with music by Roman Kariolou under the motto “Mythos 80”.
In 2021, Marianna Busslechner won the audition for the academy position at the Staatskapelle Dresden. This position offered her the opportunity to play in one of the world’s top 10 orchestras for two years. The academy position also allowed her to gain experience in the solo flute and solo piccolo positions. During this time, she played a production of the Ring des Nibelungen under Christian Thielemann, as well as numerous symphonic projects under Herbert Blomstedt, Petr Popelka, Mung Wung Chung, Manfred Honeck, Tugan Sokhiev, Marie Jacquot, Rudolf Buchbinder, Ivan Repusic and many others.
In September 2023, directly after the academy, she won the audition for her position as principal flutist of the WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne, for which she passed the trial year after less than six months.
Since then, she has regularly received invitations from renowned orchestras such as the Gürzenich Orchestra, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Staatstheater Hessen, Philharmoniker Mannheim etc.
Since 2024 she has been giving guest lectures at universities such as the Folkwang University in Essen. Here she leads workshops for jazz musicians with the secondary instrument flute with colleagues from the WDR BigBand such as Karolina Strassmayr.
Since the age of 18, she has also taught a flute class at a private music school in Ansfelden, Upper Austria, in Vienna and has now numerous private students in cologne.
