composer & conductor
Biography:
Johannes Kalitzke, born in Cologne in 1959, is a composer and conductor. From 1967 to 77 he studied piano with Jeanette Chéro, from 1974 to 76 church music in Cologne, from 1978 to 81 piano with Aloys Kontarsky at the Cologne University of Music, conducting with Wolfgang von der Nahmer and composition with York Höller, and later electronic music with Ulrich Humpert. In 1982/83 he studied at IRCAM in Paris with Vinko Globokar with a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation. From 1984 to 1990 he worked first as Kapellmeister and then as chief conductor at the ›Musiktheater im Revier‹ in Gelsenkirchen. In 1986 he took over the leadership of the Forum for New Music, succeeding Carla Henius. In 1991 he became artistic director and conductor of musikFabrik. Since 1996 he has taught i.a. at the Darmstadt Summer Courses and leads conducting seminars at various universities, including the conductors' forum of the German Music Council. Today, Kalitzke is a regular guest with ensembles and orchestras at festivals for contemporary music internationally, both as a conductor and as a composer.
His first opera Report on the death of the musician Jack Tiergarten was performed at the Munich Biennale in 1996. Commissioned by the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Kalitzke composed his second opera Molière or the executioners of the comedians (Premiere 1998 in Bremen, as well as Inferno 2004). In 2007 Kalitzke received an opera commission for The Taken after Witold Gombrowicz (Theater an der Wien). The premiere there was on February 19, 2010. Johannes Kalitzke lives as a freelance artist in Cologne and Vienna.
Albums:
Donaueschingen Music Days 2012:
Darmstadt Aural Documents Box 1 Composers – Conductors:
Salzburg Biennale – Festival for New Music 2009:
Donaueschingen Music Days 2007 Vol. 2:
