Austrian Association for Contemporary Art and Music
STEFAN HOELL, CoMPOSER and co-founder of AACAM
Stefan Höll was born 1974 in Linz (Austria). At the age of seven he began to play the violin, then changed to rock and blues guitar before he returned to study classical composition at the Vienna Conservatory where he graduated with distinction in 2005.
His classical work has been performed at the Wiener Konzerthaus by the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, at the Musikverein, at the Kammermusikfestival Bad Ischl, on Austrian radio, and in Damascus (Syria), Bogotá and Neiva (Colombia) and Iran where he was invited to several times by the Austrian Foreign Ministry to run composing workshops.
Together with his colleague Belush Korenyi he composed (scored) in 2010 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Austrian politician Bruno Kreisky´s death the documentary for the Austrian television (ORF) and Dor Film company.
The orchestra piece “Pileïa” was commissioned for the Euro Med Youth Orchestra and premiered in August 2008 in Damascus. For more information check: www.stefanhoell.com
Ewald Donhoffer, Conductor
He is a teacher of orchestral conducting at Vienna Conservatory of Music, Vienna. He was director of studies at "Theater an der Wien" for several productions with Bertrand de Billy, Fabio Luisi and Sean Edwards and obtained master classes with Daniel Barenboim, Bertrand de Billy and Yakov Kreizberg.
He conducted performances with Vienna Symphonic Orchestra, Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and various other orchestras in Austria and abroad.
In November 2008 he had his debut with "Staatskapelle Dresden" at the Semper Opera in Dresden.
Within the next seasons he will perform at the opera Düsseldorf and is named first guest conductor of the Western Saxonian Symphony Orchestra.
Productions are planned in France, at the Opera Panama and the Texas Buttler Opera. For more information check: www.ewalddonhoffer.com
Hassan Taha, Composer
He graduated from the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus in 1998, Horn and Lute. In 2003 he studied contemporary composition with Prof. John Slangen, Netherlands. His compositions were performed in Syria and abroad by the National Syrian Symphony Orchestra and the National Arabic Orchestra.
He composed music for theater, like "The Drinker Days", a play by the Syrian author Saadalla Wannous. He participated to international festivals and conferences as a lecturer and researcher in Arabic music. He was invited to take part in Al-Farabi Festival in London, England.
He plays French Horn at The Syrian National Symphony and teaches at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus.
Missak Baghboudarin, Conductor
He is conductor of the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra. He graduated from the Higher Institute for Music with a degree in piano and conducting. In 1994 he began to study conducting with maestro Solhi Al-Wadi, former Director of the Higher Institute principal conductor of the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra.
In 2002, he was successfully awarded a Diploma in the International Conducting Courses under the guidance of Maestro Julius Kalmar. He took part in master-classes in Bulgaria, Netherlands and Malta with Carl St. Clair from USA, Jorma Panula from Finland and Riccardo Muti from Italy.
Since 2003, he performed several concerts with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra in Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, UAE, Turkey and Italy. He had the honor to conduct the SNSO in the opening concert of the Damascus Opera House in 2004 and the opening ceremony of
"Damascus Arab Capital of Culture 2008".
In 2006, he participated with the Orchestra of the Higher Institute of Music in Young Euro Classic Festival, Berlin.
Gerald Resch, Composer, Musicologist
1993-2000 Composition with Michael Jarrell at the Viena Conservatory of
Music and musicology at the University for Music and
Dramatic Arts, Vienna
1995-1996 One year of studying at the Music Conservatoire in Cologne
2001-2002 Postgraduate-study course in composition with Beat Furrer in Graz
2002 Theodor Koerner Award by the Republic of Austria
2003 Austrian State Scholarship for Composition; Composer in
Residence at the Weimarer Frühjahrstage für Neue Musik
2003-2004 Training course in Computer Music and electro acoustics
2004 Anton Bruckner Scholarship of the province of Upper Austria
2004 Lecturer in music analysis (Bruckner University Linz); aural training
and composition (Music School Vienna, 5th district)
2006 Vienna Symphony Orchestra Scholarship
2008 Senior Lecturer in harmony, theory of musical forms and aural
training at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna
Study stays of several months in Berlin, Paris, and Rome enhanced a poetical form that intends to be continuously open for various influences from non-musical areas (e.g. painting, weaving art, and geology). Performances in Austria (amongst others Salzburg Festival, Vienna Concert Hall and Musikverein), Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and USA.
Gerald Resch will be one of the featured composers at Festival Wien Modern 2011. His new piece for Klangforum Vienna Collection Serti will be performed as well as the violin concerto Schlieren, the orchestra piece Ein Stück Land and the ensemble pieces Knoten , Ein Garten. Pfade, die sich verzweigen and Grounds. For more information check: www.geraldresch.at
Johanna Doderer, Composer
Johanna Doderer was born in 1969 in Bregenz, Austria. After finishing school Doderer first developped her skills in Graz with Beat Furrer (composition), and later in Vienna with Klaus Peter Sattler (film and media composition) and Erich Urbanner (composition). Her current work covers a wide range from chamber music to orchestral work to opera. For the near future she envisages focusing her attention on opera. Last year, at the request of Federal President Heinz Fischer, Johanna Doderer’s String Quintet was performed during the celebration of his inauguration in the Austrian Parliament. The highlight of Doderer’s concert tour 2010 was the premiere of her fourth opera ‘A Kind Of Yellow’ (libretto by Wolfgang Hermann) – which took place at the end of October in the New Opera House Erfurt, Germany. ‘A Kind Of Yellow’ explores a subject matter from American history. This spring Doderer’s Liedercycle “sub rosa” for soprano and string quartet, after poems by the famous Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann, will be premiered by Ildiko Raimondi (soprano at the Vienna State Opera) and musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic in the Hofburgkapelle. An important component of Doderer’s artistic career has been her frequent collaboration with musicians, including Ildiko Raimondi, John Bellemer, Marlis Petersen, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sylvia Khittl-Muhr and Edua Zadory, and with the conductor Ulf Schirmer. For further information check: www.doderer.at
Wassim Ibrahim, Composer
Wassim Ibrahim, was born in Damascus 1978 and is a Graduate of The High Institute of Music in Damascus 2010. He studied composition with Professor Serge Kopperanov. He composed several pieces for the Choir and Instruments and arranged many Oriental Pieces for choir and orchestra. Since 2005, he is member of the Chamber Choir of the High Institute of Music in Damascus (artistic director: Victor Babenko), Syria. Since 2002, member of Rainbow Choir. (artistic director: Houssam Aldine BRIMO) Teacher assistant for harmony and the musical history in The High Institute Of Music.
Participations: 2010: Choir member at the “Le Nozze di Figaro” first opera produced by the Damascus Opera House. 2008: The Tchaikovsky Orchestration Festival. Moscow. Since 2005 Concerts as choir member with the Syrian Symphony Orchestra (Syria – U A E - Jordan), conducted by Missak BAGHBOUDARIAN, Nouri ROUHAIBANI. Solo and choir singer (tenor)– Youth Mediterranean orchestra –conducted by Alain Joutard ( Damascus – Fes Maroc – Nice , Marseille France ) opera house . 2009 Workshop given by Conductor Ira SPAULDING ( America) - Choir program-yes academy – Damascus -Syria. July 2010 Workshop given by MMag .Gerald Resch (Wien) theory, Syria. 2010 Workshop given by composer Joseph Vella from Malta 2009. Conducting Workshop by French Conductor Silvin Casancon.
Zaid Jabri, Composer
Zaid Jabri, born in Damascus 1975, began his musical education by studying the violin with R. Sukar in his native town. He completed his M.A. degree with honours from the Music Academy of Krakow where he studied composition with Zbigniew Bujarski.
At present, Zaid is working on his PhD at the same School under the supervision of Professor Krzysztof Penderecki. Zaid won the first prize at the Adam Didur Composers’ Competition in Sanok in 1997 for his piece (Two Songs for Soprano and String Orchestra). In 1999, he participated in the Internationale Musikwerkstatt Buckow in Germany. In 2008, Zaid was invited by Istanbul Bilgi University music department as Artist/Composer during the Days of Polish Music. During his musical workshops & activities around the world, Zaid had consultation lessons with Peter-Jan Wagemans, Martin Smolka, Osvaldas Balakauskas, Folke Rabe, Per Norgard, Krzysztof Meyer. His works have been performed in many Arab and European countries, as well as in the US. For more information check: www.zaidjabri.com
David Muellner, SOUND DEsigner, Founder of AACAM
He graduated from the University for Music and Dramatic Arts,
Vienna in 1999.
He studied sound engineering, piano and musicology.
From 2000 to 2003 he worked as sound engineer and sound designer in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Since 2003 he is working as sound engineer and sound designer at the Burgtheater Wien, the national theater of Austria.
Head of Sound Departement at the Burgtheater Wien since 2009.
Various CD audio recordings, especially in the field of classical and contemporary music. Sound design for many theatre plays. He works as Live Sound Engineer and finished his studies in Cultural Management at the University for Music and Dramatic Arts, Vienna in 2009.