Gunter Schneider
Born 1954 in Bludenz, Austria
Studied guitar and musicology (Dr.phil.) in Innsbruck and teaches guitar and contemporary music at the Vienna University of Music and the Performing Arts (Univ.Prof.).
He has made himself a name both as soloist and in various ensembles in the field of contemporary avantgarde and exspecially improvised music. He has worked with the RSO Wien, the Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, WDR-Sinfonieorchster Köln, Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, Klangforum Wien, Burkhard Stangl’s Maxixe… special and collective projects, among others the duo together with his wife Barbara Romen and Harsch (with B.Romen, Burkhard Stangl und Christof Kurzmann), Tyromanie (music for 9 Tyrolean musicians), Stimmen der Steine erspüren (Tracking stones’ voices), using stone objects by sculptor Kassian Erhart,
Klopfzeichen together with wood print artists Michael Schneider and Miida Seiichiro (Tokyo Geidai Univ.) and Barbara Romen.
Gunter Schneider and Barbara Romen have performed, both in Japan and Europe, with several Japanese musicians from the improvisational and new music scene (Sugimoto Taku, Akiyama Tetuzi, Unami Taku, Ishikawa Ko). He has composed music for the famous Japanese sho-player Miyata Mayumi together with Suzuki Tosiya, recorders, and Stefan Hussong, accordion („MU“, commissioned by and performed at Klangspuren Schwaz 2002).
He composed music for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, singers and orchestra. Pieces for guitar were published by Doblinger, UE, and Helbling. Commissions by the Austrian Federal Ministery of Cultural Affairs, the Tyrolean Government, the ORF, and Klangspuren Schwaz. Performances among others at Musikprotokoll des Steirischen Herbstes, at the festival Wien modern, Osterfestival Innsbruck, ORF Wien and Innsbruck. 1993 Emil-Berlanda-Preis of the Tyrolean Government. Several prizes for compositions.
