"Claudia Ulla Binder (*1959):

I grew up in the south of Germany in a very small village. I studied Musicology and Psychology in Berlin and got a Masters Degree in Psychology 1983.

In 1980 I went to the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock. George Lewis was teaching that summer. Working with many different people on both improvisation and composition was a wonderful experience and has helped me to get going with my own music. Back to Berlin I took part in performances of John Cage`s Songbooks with German composer Dieter Schnebel and 1983-86 studied piano with US jazz pianist Walter Norris. Since 1986 I live in Zürich, Switzerland. In 2001 I got a degree in classical piano, having worked with Erna Ronca and Eva Serman.In Zürich improvised music has a home since over 30 years: the WIM, Werkstatt für Improvisierte Musik, helps the local scene to be so lively and varied.

Concerts and Festivals: Willisau, Taktlos, Schaffhausen, Jazzherbst Konstanz, New Music America (Miami), LMC Festival London, Jazzfestival London, Suoni a Sound (Italy), Ear We Are Biel...

I have played with a.o. John Butcher, Phil Durrant, Lol Coxhill, Stevie Wishart, Co Streiff, Hans Koch, Alfred Zimmerlin, Dorothea Schürch, Martin Schütz, Dieter Ulrich, Christian Weber, John Russell, George Lewis, Roger Turner, Priska Walss, Susann Wehrli, Gabriela Friedli, Jean-Marc Montera, Paul Hubweber, Carl-Ludwig Hübsch, Paul Hubweber, Joachim Zoepf, Tom Varner, Vinny Golia, Tomas Korber, Trixa Arnold...."

"The Japanese pianist Masako Ohta from Tokyo is both soloist and chamber musician in the field of classical and new music as well as improvisation on the road.

She completed her piano studies at the Toho Gakuen School of Music Tokyo and at the Berlin University of the Arts, plus master classes with András Schiff, György Sebök and György Kurtag.

Masako Ohta is intensively engaged in poetry, sound and music from Japan, Europe and other cultural circles, creating intercultural and interdisciplinary projects and concert series such as "Fantasia Pieces", "Chamber Music Gen " and "Roots & Wings" .

Masako Ohta received the first prize at the Giesing Kulturpreis 2016 with Kammersänger Christopher Robson and actor Olaf Becker.

Masako Ohtas work is documented in numerous radio productions, as well as on the CD OHENROSAN, an improvisational live recording with Udo Schindler (clarinet) in the Pilgrims of Sound series "Realtime".

As a piano teacher, she teaches and gives master classes for piano and chamber music. With the motto "holistic piano playing", she combines her piano lessons with Japanese calligraphy."

"Elisabeth Harnik, free-lance composer and pianist, was born 1970 in Graz and lives in Gams (County of Styria/Austria). She studied classical piano and later - with Beat Furrer - composition at what is now the Univer sity of Music and Performing Arts, Graz.

The "repertoire" and it's extensions in composition and improvisation is her central focus. Harnik works within an electro-acoustic inspired sound-world, using unique preparations and extended techniques.

Performances include: Easterfestival Graz 2002, Hörfest Graz 2003/04/05, Styrian Chamber Music Festival 2003, Klangmühle Orth an der Donau 2005, Munich Ope ra Festival 2006, Mozart- Year Vienna 2006, Paul Hofhaimer Musiktage 2006, Composers' Forum Mittersill 2008, Haydn Year 2009, Festival 4020 Linz 2009, Sou ndings Festival London 2010, Opera Graz, Musikprotokoll/Steirischer Herbst 2011, E_MAY Festival Vienna 2011/2012, Klangspuren Schwaz 2012, Transart Festiv al Bozen 2012, Wien Modern 2013, Estonian Harpsichord Society Festival 2014, A udio ArtFestival Pula 2014 a.o.

She has worked with renowned artists and ensembles such as the Ensemble Zeitfluss Graz, the Ensemble 09 Linz, the Ensemble MusikFabri kSüd, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, the Klangforum Vienna, the Ensemb le "die reihe" Vienna, the Ensemble Kontrapunkte Vienna, the ensemble Reconsil Vienna, the Ensemble PHACE Vienna, the Ensemble Platypus Vienna, the Hay dn-Trio-Eisenstadt, the Trio AMOS Vienna, the Trio EIS Vienna, the Thürmchen Ens emble Cologne, the Fidelio Trio London, the Cantus Ensemble Zagreb, the Ensemble mise-en New York and various national and international soloists.

She received a great number of rewards and prizes, most recently she was Artist in Residence at the OMI International Arts Center New York 2010 and Composer in Residence 2013 at the IZZM in Ossiach/Austria. In addition to her work as composer she appears as improvisator at various national and international festivals such as the V:NM-Festival, the Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon, the Nickelsdorfer Konfrontationen, the Artacts Festival St. Johann, the Music Unlimited Festival Wels, the Soundgrube Vienna, the Comprovise Festival Cologne, the Beethoven Fest Bonn, the A L'ARME! Festival Ber lin, the Jazz & More Festival Sibiu, the Alpenglow Festival London, the All Ears Festival Oslo, the Umbrella Music Festival Chicago, the Okka Fest Milwaukee, the Musi cacoustica Beijing, the SoundOut Festival Canberra/AUS a.o."

"Katharina Weber - Pianist & Composer

Born 1958 in Bern. She has studied piano in Basel and Bern with Jürg Wyttenbach, Urs Peter Schneider, Erika Radermacher and Jörg Ewald Dähler.Masterclasses with Tatyana Nikolajewa and Hubert Harry (piano); Yehudi Menuhin and György Kurtag (chamber music); Vinko Globokar, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, Fred Frith and Barre Phillips (improvisation).1987 Soloist Award of the Swiss Musicians Association (AMS)2000 awarded with the Buergi-Willert Prize (assigned by Heinz Holliger to 5 other composers)2001 Large Music Prize of the Canton of Bern

In Switzerland and abroad, Ms. Weber has given concert as a soloist with conductors such as Jürg Wyttenbach and Heinz Holliger and as a member of chamber music ensembles.

As a pianist she works jointly with composers (Erika Radermacher, Urs Peter Schneider, Peter Streiff, Sandor Veress, György Kurtag, Gunnar Berg, Thomas Mueller, Erich Schmid, Christian Henking, Edu Haubensak etc.).

She has made recordings for the national radio and for CDs and been active as an organizer/co-ordinator for the local section of the International Society for New Music (IGNM) and the association Workshop of Improvised Music (WIM) in Bern.

As an improvising pianist Ms. Weber plays improvised solo concerts and has worked together with musicians such as Erika Radermacher, Irene Schweizer, Jürg Solothurnmann, Alfred Zimmerlin, Franziska Baumann, Fred Frith.

She is also involved with intermedia projects combining music with pantomime, eurhythmy, theatre, painting and poetry which often are improvised, too.

Presently, Ms.Weber is active in a program with the Butoh-dancer Pia Maria, in a trio with the percussionist Balts Nill and the bass-player Barry Guy and in the duo with Christian Kobi.

Since 1994 she is also writing individual compositions, both in the form of improvisational concepts as well as through composed solo and chamber music pieces. Katharina Weber teaches piano and improvisation at the Music School of the Art University and at the Conservatory of Bern."

"Lisa Ullén, pianist and composer. Born 1964 Seoul

Korea, grew up in the north of Sweden, now based in Stockholm. Graduated in 1990 from the Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm . Studies in jazz and improvisation at Chapel Hill NC USA. electro-acoustic music at EMS (Electro Acoustic Studio of Sweden).

Among her commissioned works are intermedia project Kyrillien, chamber manga opera Ninjutsu , musical drama play Now time is waiting. She has been supported and rewarded by the Swedish Arts Council, the Society of Swedish Composers, Swedish Arts Grant, and the Royal Music Academy.

The musicians of Lisa Ullén Quartet have their musical roots in jazz, punk, chamber music and blues but come together in what might modestly be called modern acoustic improvisational music. An impressively keen ear is paired with astounding musicianship, where each single note played is as important as the linear totality. A new generation of Swedish musicians expand the concept of free jazz, giving space to beat and melody as well. All the members of the group are well established on the

Swedish jazz and improvisation scene. LUQ have been broadcast by the Swedish National radio and TV and the second album was released in April -09 with very good reviews Lisa Ullén and Nina de Heney Duo has existed since 2007, and has rapidly gained recognition as one the most thrilling new groups on the improvisation scene in Sweden. They are individually known and respected as well established performers, having each developed a personal sound on their respective instruments.

Their second album, released in April -09, received very good reviews.They have performed at the main festivals in Sweden, such as the Umeå International Jazz Festival and the Stockholm Jazz Festival, and their music has several times been broad-casted on the National Swedish Jazz Radio P2."

"Udo Schindler is a German improvisation musicians (bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, saxophone, flute, cornet, also accordion, guitar, percussion, analog synthesizer) and architect. Schindler was active in the 1970s in Franconia first as rock and rock jazz musician before he had flute lessons at the conservatory Nuremberg. Subsequently, he studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich and worked as an architect. In the 1990s he turned to contemporary music (Arch.Ensemble) and improvised music (Schindler.Interferenz.3). In addition to the single tube instruments (saxophones and clarinets), he studied the cornet. In addition to his sound research, he also worked as a director, performer, musician and composer for various theater productions. In the following years he performed with solo and duo projects at new music festivals (Musica Viva, Klangaktionen, etc ...), jazz, experimental music, among others. This led to collaborations with musicians like Hubert Bergmann, Gerry Hemingway, Eddie Prevost, Sebi Tramontana, Georg Wissel, John Russell, Blaise Siwula, Frank Gratkowski, Hans Koch, Urs Leimgruber, Elisabeth Harnik, Katharina Weber and Frank Paul Schubert. In addition to his activities in solid cast he initiated in Munich a series of concerts to free improvisation in ad hoc to test instrumentation."

"Elisabeth Harnik, free-lance composer and pianist, was born 1970 in Graz and lives in Gams (County of Styria/Austria). She studied classical piano and later - with Beat Furrer - composition at what is now the Univer sity of Music and Performing Arts, Graz.

The "repertoire" and it's extensions in composition and improvisation is her central focus. Harnik works within an electro-acoustic inspired sound-world, using unique preparations and extended techniques.

Performances include: Easterfestival Graz 2002, Hörfest Graz 2003/04/05, Styrian Chamber Music Festival 2003, Klangmühle Orth an der Donau 2005, Munich Ope ra Festival 2006, Mozart- Year Vienna 2006, Paul Hofhaimer Musiktage 2006, Composers' Forum Mittersill 2008, Haydn Year 2009, Festival 4020 Linz 2009, Sou ndings Festival London 2010, Opera Graz, Musikprotokoll/Steirischer Herbst 2011, E_MAY Festival Vienna 2011/2012, Klangspuren Schwaz 2012, Transart Festiv al Bozen 2012, Wien Modern 2013, Estonian Harpsichord Society Festival 2014, A udio ArtFestival Pula 2014 a.o.

She has worked with renowned artists and ensembles such as the Ensemble Zeitfluss Graz, the Ensemble 09 Linz, the Ensemble MusikFabri kSüd, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, the Klangforum Vienna, the Ensemb le "die reihe" Vienna, the Ensemble Kontrapunkte Vienna, the ensemble Reconsil Vienna, the Ensemble PHACE Vienna, the Ensemble Platypus Vienna, the Hay dn-Trio-Eisenstadt, the Trio AMOS Vienna, the Trio EIS Vienna, the Thürmchen Ens emble Cologne, the Fidelio Trio London, the Cantus Ensemble Zagreb, the Ensemble mise-en New York and various national and international soloists.

She received a great number of rewards and prizes, most recently she was Artist in Residence at the OMI International Arts Center New York 2010 and Composer in Residence 2013 at the IZZM in Ossiach/Austria. In addition to her work as composer she appears as improvisator at various national and international festivals such as the V:NM-Festival, the Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon, the Nickelsdorfer Konfrontationen, the Artacts Festival St. Johann, the Music Unlimited Festival Wels, the Soundgrube Vienna, the Comprovise Festival Cologne, the Beethoven Fest Bonn, the A L'ARME! Festival Ber lin, the Jazz & More Festival Sibiu, the Alpenglow Festival London, the All Ears Festival Oslo, the Umbrella Music Festival Chicago, the Okka Fest Milwaukee, the Musi cacoustica Beijing, the SoundOut Festival Canberra/AUS a.o."