Johanna Varner

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Johanna Varner at the Unterfahrt jazz club , Munich (2010)

Johanna Varner (* 1963 in Munich ) is an Austrian musician ( cello , double bass , composition ) in the field of contemporary and improvised music as well as a music publisher and initiator of numerous concert series. In addition, Johanna Varner is a photographer with numerous solo exhibitions in Germany and the Netherlands, which mainly focus on the Groningen landscape.

Sunset, photo by Johanna Varner

Live and act

Johanna Varner studied cello with Fritz Kiskalt at the University of Music and Theater in Munich , where she passed the state examination. In 1984 she won second prize with the Cudek Quartet at the string quartet competition in Bubenreuth. This was followed by cello studies at the David Oistrach Academy Ingolstadt with Eldar Issakadre and master classes with the Alban Berg Quartet , later double bass lessons with Rufus Reid , Thomas Stabenow and Henning Sieverts .

From 1986 Varner dealt with improvised music; She is a founding member of the International Composers and Improvisers Ensemble Munich (ICI) and initiated - supported by the German Music Council , the City of Munich and the Austrian Cultural Forum - the concert series International Encounters in Munich . She also worked a. a. with FM Einheit , Ulrike Haage , Katharina Franck , Alexander Hacke , Phil Minton , George Lewis , Dieter Schnebel , Barry Guy and Markus Stockhausen . With a scholarship from the City of Munich, she studied with Mary Oliver in 2004 and worked in Amsterdam with members of the ICP Orchestra . With Han Bennink , Mary Oliver and Christofer Varner she founded the Ammü Quartet ; with Mary Oliver the duo JOMO .

As a classical cellist, Varner played in orchestras (including Munich Bach soloists, Munich residence soloists, Munich Chamber Orchestra), as a theater musician (Residenztheater, Tams) under the direction of Leonard Bernstein and Christoph Poppen . In 2000 she founded the Ensemble Laurier for contemporary music. She worked on recordings by Olga Neuwirth and William Parker for Bayerischer Rundfunk. After the duo album JOMO (Neos, 2009, with Mary Oliver), she released her self-titled debut album in 2011. Since 2009 Johanna Varner has been playing in various ensembles (including Boreas Duo) with the Dutch guitarist Dick Toering . Since 2013 she has played in the Klangwelt Station ensemble with Dick Toering and the German bassist Meinrad Kneer .

Varner also runs a music publishing company and works as a music teacher, author and illustrator. She is also the initiator of the Composer in Dialogue concert series (with guests Joëlle Léandre and Olga Neuwirth ), the monthly improvised music Munich series (on the former Schwere Reiter rehearsal stage of the Otto Falckenberg School ) and the children's play-in theater music up close - with Charlie around the world .

Since 2018, Johanna Varner has had solo exhibitions as a photographer in Germany and the Netherlands. Your most successful exhibition is "Magical Groningen Landscape". In addition to studying cello and composition, she learned photography from various renowned photographers between 1983 and 1986. For 35 years she has designed music books, CDs and concert programs with illustrations and photos.

From 1994 she was a "freelance gag writer" for the company "Brainpool", including for the late night shows by Harald Schmidt and Thomas Koschwitz.

Discographic notes

  • ICI Ensemble & George Lewis (PAO Records, 2003), with Roger Janotta
  • ICI Ensemble Munich: The Wisdom of Pearls (PAO Records, 2006)
  • Johanna Varner, Mary Oliver, JOMO NEOS, 2006
  • Ammü Quartett: Ammü Quartett (PAO Records, 2007) (Han Bennink, Mary Oliver)
  • Johanna Varner: SOLO (Listermusic, 2010)
  • Ammü Quartet: Ümma (Listermusic, 2011) (Hann Bennink, Mary Oliver)
  • William Parker & ICI Ensemble: Winter Sun Crying (NEOS JAZZ, 2011)
  • Toering, Varner, Treuheit: Usquert 1-11 (Listermusic) producer Dick Toering, 2012
  • Klangwelt Station: The music exhibition, Johanna Varner, Meinrad Kneer, Dick Toering (Listermusic) producer Dick Toering, 2012
  • Toering, Varner, Control & fantasy (Listermusic), producer Dick Toering, 2016
  • Boreas Duo Classical CD M usic for a while , Johanna Varner, Cello Dick Toering Guitar, 2017

Web links

Commons : Johanna Varner  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Network Austria. Johanna Varner
  2. ↑ Liner Notes of the album JOMO
personal data
SURNAME Varner, Johanna
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian musician (cello, double bass, composition, photographer)
DATE OF BIRTH 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Munich