''Thomas Kessler'' (born 25 September 1937 in Zurich) is a Swiss composer. He is a pioneer of

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

Life

Kessler studied literature at the Universities of Zurich and Paris, followed by composition studies with Heinz Friedrich Hartig,

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and

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at the Hochschule für Musik Berlin. In 1965 he founded his own electronic studio and became a member of the Gruppe Neue Musik Berlin. He encountered composers such as

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and

Vinko Globokar Vinko Globokar (born 7 July 1934) is a French-Slovenian avant-garde composer and trombonist. Globokar's music uses unconventional and extended techniques, places great emphasis on spontaneity and creativity, and often relies on improvisation. ...

. Later he was director of the Elektronik Beat Studio Berlin as well as director of music at the Centre Universitaire International de Formation et de Recherche Dramatiques in Nancy. From 1973 to 2000 Thomas Kessler taught composition and music theory at the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel and created there the Elektronische Studio Basel. His students include

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Bettina Skrzypczak Bettina Skrzypczak (born 25 January 1963) is a Polish/Swiss composer. Biography Skrzypczak was born in Poznań, Poland. She studied piano at Bydgoszcz and music at the Academy of Music in Poznan. In 1985 she graduated with a degree in music theory ...

, René Wohlhauser und Thomas Chr. Heyde. Together with Gérard Zinsstag he founded the Tage für Neue Musik in Zürich and with Wolfgang Heiniger the Festival ECHT!ZEIT in Basel. Since 2001 he has been Composer in Residence at the New Music Concerts in Toronto.Composer's Website
/ref> In 2018 he was awarded the Schweizer Musikpreis.

References

Bibliography

* Burde, Wolfgang: 'Kompositionsportrait Thomas Kessler', Melos/NZM, iv (1978), 22-6 * Koblyakov, Lev: 'Thomas Kesslers Control-Stücke', Dissonanz 24 (1990), 17-22 * Gartman, Thomas: 'Thomas Kessler', New Grove, 2nd Edition, Vol. 13, 503 * Weissberg, Daniel: Ein Rebell zweiter Unordnung. Laudatio zur Verleihung des Marguerite Staehelin Preises an Thomas Kessler, Zürich 2006 * Gottstein, Björn: 'Im Schleifen der Differenz. Thomas Kesslers Orchesterstück "Utopia"', Dissonanz 108 (2009), S. 28-31 * Nonnenmann, Rainer: Höhenflug mit gestutzten Flügeln. Zur Kölner Uraufführung von Thomas Kesslers "Utopia II" (1. Juli 2011), Dissonanz 115 (2011), 76-77 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kessler, Thomas 1937 births Swiss composers Swiss male composers Living people