Poul Høxbro is an internationally acclaimed Danish flautist, percussionist and musical pioneer. Renowned for his profound artistry and wide-ranging exploration of music across centuries. He is a leading specialist on medieval pipe-and-tabor and other early/traditional wind instruments like the Chinese xun, low whistles, and traditional Scandinavian instruments like willow flute, cow- and goat horn. His work is marked by meticulous research, refined musicianship, and a rare ability to communicate early music with immediacy and depth to modern audiences.
Beyond historical performance, Poul Høxbro is widely recognized for his openness to experimentation and artistic dialogue. He collaborates closely with contemporary composers, commissioning and premiering new works that challenge and expand the expressive boundaries of early wind instruments. Composing/improvisation, cross-genre projects, and innovative concert formats play a central role in his artistic practice, creating a bridge between early music traditions and contemporary musical thinking.

Below – in random order – a selection of highlights from Poul Høxbro’s artistic career:

Collaboration with sound artist Thomas Li on four original works for the Chinese flute, xun, and modular synthesizers.


Selected among a total of eight flautists from around the world for the Magic Flute Project”at Germany’s largest folk music festival in Rudolstadt.

Collaboration with the Welch/Danish harpist Helen Davies on the rediscovery of music from Johan von Bülow’s Collection (early 1800s) and new interpretations of this music for low whistle and Celtic harp. The two have also created programs combining classical English medieval music and old traditional Celtic tunes.

Musical consultant and recording artist on Viking flutes and horns for Robert Eggers’ film The Northman (Universal Pictures, 2022).

Many years of in-depth pioneering work on the medieval tradition of one-handed flute and drum, leading to guest performances and collaborations around the world.

Awarded the Danish National Symphony Orchestra’s honorary prize, Emil Holm’s Grant, for his work as an “ambassador of medieval music.”

Collaboration with the Danish author Suzanne Brøgger and musicians Butch Lacey, Marilyn Mazur, and Hans Ulrik on a recording of the Persian Inanna poems in Brøgger’s reinterpretation.

Explored Swedish and Norwegian sæter (herding) music, interpreted on traditional instruments such as cow and goat horns and the willow flute.

Collaboration with singer and harpist Miriam Andersén on the sounds and music of the Vikings.

Collaboration with Danish trumpeter and composer Palle Mikkelborg on the work Am i awake or am I dreaming performed in connection with Jürgen Habermas’s receipt of the Holberg Prize at Haakon’s Hall in Bergen.

Collaboration with Danish jazz pianist and composer Carsten Dahl, cellist Toke Møldrup, and parish priest at Trinitatis Church, Anne Edmond, on contemplative services in major Danish churches.

Soloist at the Royal Danish Opera in Danish composer Bo Holten’s opera The Visit of the Royal Physician.

Solo role in the Danish composer Stephen Henriksen’s music for the large-scale musical Leonora with the Odense Symphony Orchestra.

Collaboration with the experimental classical ensemble Manchester Collective.

Artistic leader of several projects with the Danish baroque orchestra Concerto Copenhagen.

Toured Australia several times together with Australian recorder player Genevieve Lacey, including performances in the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House.

Initiator and soloist in Bo Holten’s work The Prophecy of the Völva (in Suzanne Brøgger’s reinterpretation) for vocal ensemble, harp, and Viking instruments.

Corona project: Research and musical immersion in the Chinese clay flute, xun, which led to Poul Høxbro becoming one of the very first to introduce this instrument into Western classical music.

Collaboration with organist and composer Jette Mogensen on programs for church organ and xun. Most recently also with singer Elisabeth Holmertz in musical reflections on texts and music by Hildegard of Bingen.

Collaboration with legendary bagpipe, shawm, and cornetto player Ian Harrison on programs of medieval music from Scandinavia and England.

Developed a “storytelling concert” based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Nightingale together with the Danish actress Ellen Hillingsø.

Collaboration between the American/Dutch composer Ellen Lindquist, Norwegian poet Margrethe Aas, and Swedish singer Elisabeth Holmertz on a new work for voice and goat horn, written to be performed in the landscapes of the Scandinavian mountain pasture culture.

Forms a duo with Danish recorder player Bolette Roed in a classical program featuring music from the Middle Ages to the present day, and also with his daughter, guitarist Silene Høxbro, in a program where the two reinterpret folk melodies found in Danish and Norwegian music manuscripts from the 16th and 18th centuries.