In 1991, Otto Sauter, the world‘s leading soloist on the piccolo-trumpet, had the idea of putting together the ensemble „Ten of the Best“ with ten of the best trumpet players in the world, like the principal trumpet of the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Stockholm Opera, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Prague as well as international renowned trumpet players from Europe, the United States, Mexico and Japan. Otto Sauter regularly invites international renowned artists to perform with „Ten of the Best“, like STING Guitarist Dominic Miller, Westernhagen guitarist Markus wienstroer, James Last percussionist Pablo Escayola, Level 42 keyboarder Mike Lindup and many more.
Since many years, „Otto Sauter & Ten of the Best“ regularly go successfully on concert tour in Europe, Japan, USA and Mexico. International renowned arrangers are working for the ensemble, some of them are Grammy award recipients, who worked in Hollywood with stars like Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, The Commodores and Prince or in Germany with artists like Peter Herbolzheimer or Udo Jürgens and his Pepe Lienhard Band.
In 2001 the ensemble launched the inauguration of the Veltin Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany), Europe’s most modern football stadium, in front of 70.000 spectators. Highlight 2006 under the artistic direction of Otto Sauter was the „Playtime Live City Concert Tour“ for the FIFA Football World Championship 2006TM with 16 concerts at e.g. the Semper Opera Dresden, the Wartburg, the Loreley or the Marketsquare in the Händel-City Halle.
During the Richard Wagner year 2013, Otto Sauter took the music of the famous German composer on a journey around the world e.g. as opening concert of the Beethovenfest Bonn or at the Festival Internacional de la Cultura Maya, Merida Mexico.