Kai Schumacher (born 18 November 1979) is a German pianist. He specializes primarily in American piano music of the 20th and 21st century, as well as music for piano and electronics

Life

Kai Schumacher received his first piano lessons when he was five years old. In 1995 he made his debut at the age of 15 years as a soloist with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic performing the Second Piano Concerto by

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

. After graduating from the he began studying at the

Folkwang University of the Arts The Folkwang University of the Arts is a university for music, theater, dance, design, and academic studies, located in four German cities of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1927, its traditional main location has been in the former Werden Abbey in E ...

in Essen in the piano class of Prof. Till Engel. Following his final concert examination, he graduated "with distinction" in 2009. His first recording, a performance of

The People United Will Never Be Defeated! ''The People United Will Never Be Defeated!'' (1975) is a piano composition by American composer Frederic Rzewski. ''The People United'' is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song " ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!" by Sergio Ortega and ...

, a large-scale set of variations by the American composer

Frederic Rzewski Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. His major compositions, which often incorporate social an ...

on a Chilean revolutionary song, was made the same year and released by

Wergo WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was S ...

. The album received good reviews both nationally and internationally and was awarded the "Star of the Month" (Stern des Monats) by magazine. FonoForum: Stern des Monats 12/2009 Kai Schumacher later reprised his performance as part of a live 'art action' organized by in Berlin and at the

Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste in München (Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts) is an association of renowned personalities in Munich, Bavaria. It was founded by the Free State of Bavaria in 1948, continuing a tradition established in 1808 by ...

in München (Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts). In 2013, he released his second album "Transcriptions" featuring his original arrangements of

Grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

Heavy Metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

, and

Indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

songs for solo piano. He has performed this program widely, in both classical concert halls as well as at pop and rock music festivals such as the . In June 2015, Kai Schumacher released "Insomnia" on the SWRmusic/

hänssler Hänssler-Verlag is a German music publishing house founded in 1919 as Musikverlag Hänssler by Friedrich Hänssler Senior (died 1972) to publish church music. The company is now based in Holzgerlingen. Since 1972 Hänssler Verlag has also publish ...

CLASSIC label, featuring a program of works by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

, and Bruce Stark. From 2010-2014 Kai Schumacher was the keyboardist for folk-pop band .

Discography

(2009) (Wergo) * Transcriptions (2013) (Intuition) * Insomnia (2015) (SWRmusic/HänsslerClassic) * Walking on a twine (mit Mobilée) (2012) (Island Records / Universal)

References

External links

Official Website

Kai Schumacher Facebook page

Kai Schumacher YouTube channel

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schumacher, Kai German classical pianists Male classical pianists 1979 births Living people 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century German musicians 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century German musicians 21st-century German male musicians Folkwang University of the Arts alumni