Falko Steinbach

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Falko Steinbach/Profile/Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae

Work experience

“Künstlerischer Lehrbeauftragter” for piano at the University of Cologne (1989 – 1999)
Professor of Piano at the University of New Mexico since 1999, Full Professor since 2010
Head of the piano performance program at UNM since 1999

Teaching/Applied lessons: for piano performance on graduate and undergraduate level

Teaching/Classes: Piano ensemble/Chamber music, Piano Pedagogy, Piano Repertory

Teaching/Master Classes: 85 international master classes and 1 – 2 week courses since 1999, Klavierfestival Lindlar and NRW Landesmusikakademie Heek (Germany) annually, at many Universities in Taiwan, USA and Germany, additional Master classes on music festivals in, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Argentina, Berlin, Albuquerque (annually) and Santa Fe until January 2020.

Performing: More than 1,000 recitals (solo and collaborative) in 50 years, nationally in Germany since 1970, internationally in Europe since 1987, in Asia and North-and South America since 1999 until January 2020.

CD’s: 16 mostly solo CD’s for the label ambitus (Hamburg), Antes Edition (Germany). The latest: “Oboe on the edge,” Centaur Records (2008); “Figures,” Centaur Records (2009); “Devisadero,” Navona Records (2011). Since 2012 Steinbach continues to produce recordings to be published on his website and on youtube.

Compositions: 60 compositions – mostly cycles for piano solo, choir, ensembles, chamber music, among which one opera (Berlin Suite, finished 2011), one oratorio (Apocalypse, finished 2016), one piano concerto (part I finished in Dec. 2019), 4 volumes of 53 piano etudes (finished 2009), one cycle “Eclectic Eccentric” – 5 pieces for oboe and different instruments, and many other chamber music compositions for strings, recorders and other instruments. Most compositions have been world premiered and repeatedly performed by various artists and ensembles, choirs and orchestras on music festivals in Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Malaysia and USA. Many of them have been recorded on CD’s until December 2019.

Festivals: Founder and Artistic Director of the “International Piano Festival Lindlar” (Germany), annual event since 2009 Founder and Artistic Director of “Streams,” International Festival for new spiritual and secular compositions in Brauweiler (Germany), 2010 and 2013 under “Schirmherrschaft” of the governor of the state Northrhinewestfalia, Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers. Co founder and chair of jury of the piano competition “Competition Internationale” in Albuquerque (UNM) and Santa Fe, 2005. Artistic Director of “Tage Neuer Musik” in Brauweiler (Germany) 2001.

Conferences: Lecturer, performer and clinician on more than 20 regional, national and international conferences since 1999 in Germany, Taiwan, Malaysia, USA.

Topics: Music, Brain development and Mentoring, New Music, Own compositions, e.g: Tage Neuer Musik, Brauweiler, Germany, 2001, International Conference on Piano Musical Arts and Pedagogy, Ping Tung, Taiwan, 2003, Liszt Society, Convention Gainesville, USA 2003, “Streams”, Brauweiler, Germany 2010, “Streams”, Brauweiler, Germany 2013, Regular yearly invitations to: UNM Mentoring Conference and UNM Composer’s Symposium.

Publications: 1 book: A Compendium of Piano Technique (1995 in German and 2007 in English) Music Scores: “Slapstick Variations” for two pianos (1998); Five Birthday pieces for piano solo (2005); Piano Etudes: “Figures” (2008); “Moving” (2009); “Finger Paintings” (2009);“Mirror Visions” (2011); Etude 53 (2011); all Verlag Edmund Bieler, Cologne (Germany) and falkosteinbach.com/; “Organisms” for Organ for four hands (2013) – self published music print – falkosteinbach.com/. Since 2017 Steinbach continues to publish his compositions on his own website (20 compositions on falkosteinbach.com/ until 2019).

Honorary Cultural activities: since 2004 advisory board member of the concert series “Freundeskreis der Abtei Brauweiler” in Germany; 1999 – 2005 board member of PMTNM – New Mexico; 1996 – 99 board of directors DTKV Köln/Aachen (Germany); 1991 – 1999 founder, member, chair, artistic coordinator of Klang Köln e.V. (Germany); 1990 – 99 co founder and board of directors L’Association Musical Européenne (France); 1987 – 1990 co founder and board of directors Initiative for the Enrichment of Culture, Hückeswagen (Germany).

Adjudicator Activities: Adjudicator on 29 local, regional, and international piano competitions since 1999 until summer 2019.

World premieres: 62 world premieres of compositions by different composers and own compositions (1984 –  summer 2019).

Radio: 25 radio productions and live recordings by WDR and NDR (Germany’s two biggest Radio- and TV stations 1991 – 1998).

Student Recitals: Since 1999 two student recitals every semester in Keller Hall, UNM, various student recitals on international master courses. Since 2009 about 10-24 student recitals every year on the “Klavierfestival Lindlar”.

Distinctions and Recognitions

Further Publications about (of) Steinbach’s work: Besides many reviews and articles in newspapers, music publications and music magazines (more than 370 collected articles until September 2015), 6 major publications among which two doctoral dissertations about Steinbach’s etudes “Figures” and my book “A Compendium of Piano Technique”: 1. The independence of movement and Sound in all Aspects of Piano Technique in Falko Steinbach’s “Figures” – 17 Choreographic Etudes for Piano (2006) by Dr. Shu Ching Cheng at the University of Arizona (2010) and 2. A Structural Analysis for Performers: Falko Steinbach’s “Figures: 17 Choreographic Etudes for Piano” by Dr. Alexander Schwarzkopf at the University of Oregon (2012). Steinbach’s recording “Nocturne Lugubre” by Kurt Schwaen (CD “six take” by Falko Steinbach) is the featured music in the movie “Ceux qui font les révolutions”, Canada 2016. Also, the recording “De Fleurs” by Claude Debussy, produced by Falko Steinbach and published by Ambitus with Anne Schwanewilms – soprano and Falko Steinbach – piano is a soundtrack in the 2018 released movie “The Hummingbird Project” by Canadian director Tim Nguyen with Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Selma Hayek and Michael Mando.

Awards: Winner of the piano competition “Jugend Musiziert”, Bergisch Gladbach (1976); DAAD Grant from the German Government to study at the Guildhall of Music and Drama in London (1986); Stiftung Kunst und Kultur, Northrhinewestfalia, Grant to produce and publish solo CD, “six take” (1997); Stiftung Kunst und Kultur, Grant to produce and publish CD, “Lieder aus dem Exil” (Hanns Eisler/Bertolt Brecht in collaboration with Marlene Mild (Soprano) and the WDR (1997); CFA Grant for Translation of “A Compendium of Piano, Technique”(2001); Landschaftsverband Rheinland, Grant for CD production “Humanity, Classics” (2003); CFA Grant to publish the score of “Figures” (2007); CFA Grant to produce CD “Figures” (2008); RAC Grant to publish CD “Figures” (2008); UNM Student Abroad Funding Award for “Klavierfestival Lindlar” (2014), Brabson Library & Educational Fund, Grant to perform Steinbach’s opera “Berlin Suite” (2018) – the preview was on the 30th anniversary of the the Fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 2019.

Student Awards: 78 regional, national and international Student Awards and prizes until February 2020.

Education

Degrees: Certificate of Advanced Studies (Post Graduate), Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London (1987), Konzertexamen (equivalent to DMA) in Piano Performance Musikhochschule Köln (1986), BM in Music Theory and Composition, Musikhochschule Köln (1986), MM with distinction Musikhochschule Köln in Piano Performance (1984), BM, Piano Pedagogy, Musikhochschule Köln (1983)

Languages: German, English (spoken and written), French, Italian (rudimentary spoken), Latin, Kleines Latinum (minor degree)