Markus Emanuel Zaja

Markus Emanuel Zaja (born January 24, 1964 in Lüneburg ) is a German musician .

life and work

Markus Emanuel Zaja was born in 1964 as the fifth child of Upper Silesian-Galician and Polish descent in Lüneburg / Lower Saxony. After taking flute, piano, organ and saxophone lessons typical for young people, he studied musicology, history and sociology at the University of Göttingen until 1989 . In 1990 he was a prizewinner at the International Jazz Workshop in Trier with Lauren Newton . He attended workshops a. a. with Wolfgang Engstfeld , Wollie Kaiser and Joachim Ullrich . In 1991 he moved to the Ruhr metropolis, where he worked as a freelance musician, initially in Essen and since 2014 in Mülheim an der Ruhr . This was followed by studies in chamber music with Theo Jörgensmann at the University of Duisburg and clarinet studies with Theo Jörgensmann and Perry Robinson (New Jersey). In 1993 he received a first scholarship from the city of Essen, "Artist Apartment Schloß Borbeck". In 1993 he began a lively concert activity, also as the organizer of the Essen festival “Quadrature of the Circle” in 1996 at the Zollverein colliery . In 1995 his scholarship from the city of Essen "Artist Apartment Schloß Borbeck" was extended. He performed at the Leipzig Jazz Festival with the vocal quartet "Timbre" and produced his series of sculptures The Platonic Bodies in the Schüppenhauer Gallery in Cologne. A composition for sopranino saxophone was created for this. In 1996 he was invited to the “Internationaal Orgelimprovisatie Concours” in Haarlem / Netherlands . A year later he was the artistic director of the "Katernberger Orgelage" in the Zollverein art gallery. In 2000 he played at the Leipzig Bach Festival with the vocal quartet "Timbre" on the new Woehl organ in the Thomaskirche . Numerous concerts followed in galleries, churches and cathedrals in "Old Europe". From 2007 to 2012 he was a lecturer for saxophone at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. With the accordionist Ralf Kaupenjohann (Duo kẑrme ) a concert and research trip to Vienna in 2016 (including Werkbuchcafé) and a concert trip to Lublin in May 2017. There sound recordings in the Yeschiwa Chachmei synagogue and the Majdanek State Museum.

Teaching

• 2007–2012: teaching position saxophone at the Folkwang University of the Arts
• 2008–2012: Lecturer at the Episcopal Church Music School in Essen
• Lectures and seminars for various educational institutions and the DGB

Concert programs

• "The light is called shadow ..." with the Choralschola of the Episcopal Church Music School in Essen
• Interreligious project “Klangwelten” of the Rochus Church Cologne for EXPO 2000 ; after performances and a. last realized in the High Cathedral of Trier in the Gasometer Oberhausen and at the Cologne Bridge Festival in May 2016
• 2010: Solo concert in Speyer Cathedral , the largest Romanesque cathedral in the world
• 2011: Subsonic solo for alto saxophone in the Situational Brachland Museum , Bochum
• 2012: Trinkhallen Tour Ruhr 2.0 (numerous concerts with three improvising bass clarinets in the kiosks of the Ruhr area)
• 2013: Trinkhallen Tour Ruhr 3.0
• 2014: Trinkhallen Tour Ruhr 4.0
• 2015: Trinkhallen Tour Ruhr 5.0
• 2015/2016 music for soprano saxophone solo and bass clarinet with cathedral organist Ulrich Brüggemann and tenor Ulrich Cordes in the High Cathedral in Cologne
• 2017 “The Seven Gates” - project with the formation shtetl about the 118th Psalm with Daniel Krohabennik

Sound carrier

• 1996 "Remains of an Absent Heart" organ symphony in 16 parts to the work of the same name by Helmut Löhr, (multiple, edition of 25, no longer available in stores)
• 1998 “I am here - meditations for saxophone solo on the Ecumenical Way of the Cross of the Youth 1998”; jhd 56676
• 2000 "Klangwelten", CD for the program at Expo2000
• “The light is called the shadow of living light. Seven reflections for soprano saxophone by Markus Zaja in dialogue with chants of the Gregorian chant ”; BKMS Essen
• 2008 "Symphony of corresponding hearts" based on collages by Helmut Löhr on the Silbermann organ at Burgk Castle , Burgk (multiple, edition of 20, no longer available in stores)
• 2001 "Somewhere" with Thomas Horstmann (Git., Synth.) And Markus Zaja (Sax.)
• 2015 kẑrme: "6032 32513" with Ralf Kaupenjohann (acc.) And Markus Emanuel Zaja (clear.)
• 2017 “Accordion Autumn 2016”; CD sampler of the concert series of the same name. Then three moritats with Ralf Kaupenjohann (acc.), Markus Emanuel Zaja (clear) and Norbert Zajac (voice)
• 2019 kẑrme: "pierogi, schabbes and the black gold" with Ralf Kaupenjohann (acc.), Markus Emanuel Zaja (clear) and Norbert Zajac (voice)
• 2020 ensemble shtetl / dominik gerhard: “essen | berlin | jaffa - the composer hans samuel (1901-1976) “with ensemble shtetl : Cantor Aron Proujansky (tenor), Janin Roeder (voice), Maria Jarojava (fl.), Markus Emanuel Zaja (bass / bb clar.), Ralf Kaupenjohann (acc.), Christoph Lahme (harm.) And Nils Imhorst (acc.); Dominik Gerhard (organ)

Publications

• 2012 first volume of poetry "Dove Sei"
• 2013 second volume of poetry "Amato Bene"

Web links

• Website by Markus Emanuel Zaja
• Website of the duo kzrme with the accordionist Ralf Kaupenjohann
• Website of the ensemble shtetl