The main focus of the ensemble's work is on world and national premieres of compositions written for the group.
It has its origins in the ensemble "Varianti", part of the "Musik der Jahrhunderte", which performed contemporary music in varying formations between 1994 and 2002, both in Germany and abroad.
This is a deliberate counter to that of very many other new music ensembles, which tend to have Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" as reference.
It is ascolta's intention to create a substantial repertoire of compositions and arrangements for this instrumentation and to establish it as standard repertory.
Current members are: Markus Schwind (trumpets / flugelhorn / slide trumpet), Andrew Digby (trombones / euphonium / bass trumpet), Florian Hoelscher (piano, harpsichord, synthesiser), Boris Müller and Julian Belli (percussion), Erik Borgir (violoncello / electric cello), Hubert Steiner (guitars / electric guitars / bass guitars / mandolin / banjo)[4]