Schubert, Alexander

Born in 1979 in Bremen, he studied bioinformatics in Leipzig and multimedia composition with Georg Hajdu and Manfred Stahnke in Hamburg. During his studies he has worked as a musician and composer in a variety of different environments. In addition, he worked at the ZKM Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe for one year. He is the artistic head of the electronic studio at the conservatoireinLub̈ eckandwasaguestprofessoratFolkwang University in 2016, besides working as a freelance composer.

Schubert's interest explores cross-genre interfaces between acoustic and electronic music. The most characteristic feature of his work is the combination of different musical styles (hardcore, free jazz, popular electronic music, techno) with contemporary classical concepts. He incorporates these influences based on his personal experience rather than theoretically approaching the topic. Schubert has participated in his youth and early career in all above-mentioned genres both in groups and as a solo artist. Furthermore performance pieces are a major focus in his work. The use of the body in electronic music and the transportation of additional content through gestures are key features in his pieces, which aim at empowering the performer and at achieving a maximum of energy. The constant aim to pursue the search for the highest intensity in a musical performance is a driving force in his work - and this always in a subjective and barely ever conceptual way. is also leads to the regular questioning of the border between notated and improvised music. Several pieces can be understood as highly structured improvisations.

Since 2009 he has focused on sensor-based gestural composition in both his writing and research activities (as a PhD student). In this field he is contributing to international conferences and researches with various institutes worldwide. The combination of aesthetic, technical and scientific aspects of this interdisciplinary approach have encountered a very positive reception. His technical training as a computer scientist is the basis for a fearless dealing with technology in general and sensors in particular.

Apart from working as a composer and solo musician, he is also a founding member of Ensemble Decoder. He has contributed to a variety of different projects as a musician, composer and programmer, including Vienna Festival, Berlin State Opera, and SWR, has curated a festival for contemporary electronic music for several years, and runs the contemporary music label Ahornfelder. He is an organising member of the VAMH, a collective maintaining a broad network for contemporary music and organizing an annual two-week long festival. He has been a jury member of conferences and competitions such as SSSP, JTTP, ICMC, and has held composition workshops notably in Mexico City and Stockholm.

He received prizes and scholarships from ZKM, Giga-Hertz Prize, Bourges, ICMC, NIME, JTTP, Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, and commissions from NDR, International Music Institute in Darmstadt, Ensemble Resonanz, IRCAM, ZKM, HCMF, Culture Foundation in Hamburg, Piano Possible, and Ensemble Intégrales, amongst others.

His works have been performed more than 400 times notably by ensembles such as Ensemble intercontemporain, Ictus, Nadar, Mosaik, Nikel, Klangforum Wien, and Decoder in over 35 countries, including at Paris's IRCAM, Sydney's NIME, ICMC, ZKM, Darmstadt's Summer Courses for New Music, New York's Steinhardt School, Vienna's Essl Museum, German Radio in Cologne, Porto's SMC, MDR, Vienna Festival, Rainy Days Festival, Cologne's 8 Bridges, TU Berlin, Hamburg's Kunsthalle, Montreal's Akousma, Hamburg's Klangwerktage, EMM Kansas, ARD Hörspieltage, Ljubljana, USA, England, Spain, and Tunisia.

Selected works: Corylus Avellana for tape (2007), 151 Metres Above Sea, theatre music (2007), Border Post Between Norway and Turin for violin, clarinet, piano, percussion, trombone and electronics (2008), Die Monster, radio work (2008), A Set of Dots, audiovisual installation (2008), Some Forgotten Patterns, audiovisual installation (2008), Night Shadows for tape (2009), Superimpose I for saxophone, double bass, piano, percussion and electronics (2009), Superimpose II "Night of the Living Dead" for saxophone, double bass, piano, percussion and electronics (2009), La digression fragmentée for guitar, flute, percussion and electronics (2008), A Few Plateaus for laptop set (2009), Laplace Tiger for percussion, sensors, live electronics and live video (2009), Weapon of Choice for violin, sensor, live electronics and live video (2009), Semaphores for tape (2009), Ships, Wrecks, Vivid Temporal Photography for tape (2010), Bureau del Sol for percussion, saxophone and timecode vinyl (2010), Superimpose III "Infinite Jest" for saxophone, electric guitar, percussion and electronics (2010), Superimpose IV "Streamlines" for saxophone, bass clarinet, electric guitar, percussion and electronics (2010), Superimpose V "Sugar, Maths and Whips" for violin, double bass, piano, percussion and electronics (2010), Vodopad, film music (2010), White Box, film music (2010), The Grand Dissection for large ensemble, conductor with motion sensors and live electronics (2011), Your Fox's A Dirty Gold for singer, motion sensors, electric guitar and live electronics (2011), Point Ones for small ensemble, conductor with motion sensors and live electronics (2012), Bird Snapper for singer, saxophone, electric bass, electric guitar, percussion and keyboard (2012), Bifurcation Fury for electric bass guitar, live electronics and live lights (2012), SCANNERS for string ensemble and live electronics (2013), Lucky Dip for MIDI percussion, electric guitar, keyboard, live electronics, live light and video (2013), Bottom Feeder for percussion, saxophone and timecode vinyl (2013), Sweet Anticipation for percussion and sensors (2013), Serious Smile for percussion, cello, piano, conductor and sensors (2014), Unit Cycle, audiovisual installation (2014), Hello for saxophone quartet, live electronics and video (2014), Sensate Focus for violin, electric guitar, drum pad, bass clarinet and lights (also version for zither, bass clarinet, percussion, cello, live electronics and lights, 2014), Star Me Kitten for small ensemble, singer and video (2015), Supramodal Parser for small ensemble, singer and lights (2015), Solide State, audiovisual installation (2016).