Theo Bleckmann

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Theo Bleckmann, Moers Festival 2008

Theo Bleckmann (born May 28, 1966 in Dortmund ) is a German jazz singer and composer who works in the border area of ​​jazz, new, electronic music and performance. He was nominated for a Grammy and was awarded the ECHO Jazz of the German Phono Academy.

Live and act

As a child, Bleckmann was a vocal soloist (soprano) in a children's choir in his hometown of Selm-Bork and was also trained on piano and guitar. At the age of 21 he was the first singer in the Federal Youth Jazz Orchestra . In 1989 he moved to New York City after meeting the singer Sheila Jordan at a workshop in Graz , who remained an influential mentor and musical partner for him. He first played in New York with the composer and pianist Kirk Nurock , and from 1993 also with Mark Dresser's quintet . He also worked with Laurie Anderson , Anthony Braxton , Steve Coleman , Dave Douglas , Philip Glass , Michael Tilson Thomas , John Zorn and Meredith Monk , of which he is a member.

Bleckmann regularly appears in a duo with percussionist John Hollenbeck ; He was also involved in his ensemble recordings A Blessing and Joys and Desires . Another duo partner is Ben Monder .

On behalf of the Whitney Museum of American Art , Bleckmann composed a music performance piece based on Kenneth Goldsmith 's text Fidget . With the performance artist Lynn Book he created the piece Mercuria , which was produced by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. With Valeria Vasilevski and the composer Eric Salzman he wrote the opera The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz , in which he played the gangster Dutch Schultz .

As a sound improviser, he worked for numerous film, television and theater productions. He was the voice of the aliens in Spielberg's Men in Black and in Star Trek : Envoy. He also has works by David Lang and other composers, u. a. interpreted together with the Ensemble Bang on a Can . He is also a member of the MOSS vocal group with Peter Eldridge , Kate McGarry , Lauren Kinhan and Luciana Souza , with whom he released an album in 2008. Michael Gordon, Phil Kline, David Lang, Ikue Mori , Kirk Nurock and Julia Wolfe wrote compositions for him.

Bleckmann is Professor of Jazz Singing at the Manhattan School of Music and Assistant Professor at the New School, New York University, and Queens College, New York City.

Prizes and awards

Bleckmann was u. a. honored with the Bessie Award , the Gershwin Award (for the composition Chorale # 1 for Eight Voices ) and prizes from Arts International , the Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art and the New York Foundation for the Arts . He was also nominated for a Grammy Award 2010 in the "Best Classical Crossover Album" category for his interpretations of Charles Ives' songs . For his album refuge trio he was awarded the 2010 ECHO Jazz “Singer of the Year”. New York Magazine voted him into the "Cultural Elite" in 2005 and 2006.

Discographic notes

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Borker Jung nominated for Grammy - Ruhr Nachrichten (January 21, 2010)
  2. ↑ Theo Bleckmann in an interview. Former Christophorus student nominated for Grammy - Ruhr Nachrichten (January 18, 2010)
  3. ↑ Grammy awards: Complete list of nominees - List of nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony (English)
personal data
SURNAME Bleckmann, Theo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German jazz singer
DATE OF BIRTH May 28, 1966
PLACE OF BIRTH Dortmund