Olaf Ott was trained at the Dortmund department of the Hochschule für Musik Westfalen-Lippe. In 1985 he joined the Duisburg Symphony Orchestra (also Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein) as solo trombonist, between 1989 and 1994 he was solo trombonist at the RSO Berlin (today's German Symphony Orchestra Berlin). In 1994 he was admitted to the Berliner Philharmonic as trombone musician, since 1999 he has been their solo trombone player. Olaf Ott is also a member of the brass ensemble of the Berliner Philharmoniker and has been playing for almost two decades in the Triton Trombone Quartet, which has received several international awards.