Alex Nowitz

wins 2nd ECPNM European Competition for Live-Electronic Music Projects. On October 4th, 2009 with kind support of the MWFK (Ministry for Science, Research and Culture of Brandenburg/Germany) he premiered the new work "Minotaurus", for amplified voice and live-electronics with gestural controllers, at the final concert of the ISCM (International Society of Promoters of New Music) World New Music Days 2009 in Gothenburg/Sweden. Since 2007, with the help and support of the foundation STEIM in Amsterdam he developed an electronic instrument of a new kind. For more information read article: Voice and Live-Electronics Using Remotes as Gestural Controllers, published at eContact! by the Communauté électroacoustique canadienne.

Alex Nowitz is a composer of vocal music, chamber music, electronic music as well as music for dance, theatre and opera. He was commissioned by several ensembles and institutions such as the Kammerakademie Potsdam or the Staatsoper unter den Linden Berlin. In spring 2006 his first opera of an entire evening's length, for vocal ensemble, choir, orchestra, piano, harmonium, toy-piano and theremin, was premiered at the Theater Osnabrueck: "Die Bestmannoper" [The Best Man Opera], which is about Nazi criminal and mass murderer Alois Brunner and Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld.

Furthermore, he is a voice artist, whistling and singing virtuoso who is performing in collaboration with musicians from various stylistic areas as well as interpreting composed new music. He is a tenor and countertenor who presents a big variety of diverse extended techniques, which are beyond the scope of purely classical singing. Until now, he gave concerts in Europe, Russia and North America.

The Vancouver Sun writes about the dance show "Screaming Popes" by choreographer Marie-Josée Chartier (Toronto) touring through Canada in spring 2007: "German composer Alex Nowitz performs the live and recorded score, a brilliant aural architecture that gives the piece its unhurried but sure pace. The surround-sound comes at you from all directions: piano (strings as well as keys), whistling, a haunting vocal falsetto, gongs, the scrabbling of rats." And the Sun Media Winnipeg remarks: "German virtuoso Alex Nowitz -- call him The Man of 1,000 Noises -- provides a live soundtrack that fuses opera, whistling, scatting, beat-boxing, piano and pre-recorded sounds to parallel each complex emotional display. But, surprisingly enough, there's not a scream to be heard."

Currently he's performing as musician, actor, voice artist and countertenor with extended voice techniques at the Schaubuehne am Lehniner Platz/Berlin in "A Summer Night's Dream", an adaptation from Shakespeare directed by Thomas Ostermeier and Constanza Macras: Ein Sommernachtstraum.

In 2007/08/09 he was invited by STEIM in Amsterdam (STudio for Electro-Instrumental Music) to develop a set-up for live electronics as an extension for his vocal performances. He uses two gestural controllers (Wii-Remote controllers), a computer (MacBookPro) and STEIM-software (LiSa, junXion). Alex Nowitz wrote an article about his approach to develop and play the electronic instrument: "Voice and Live Electronics using Remotes as Gestural Controllers", which was published at eContact! by the CEC (Communauté électroacoustique canadienne/Montréal) on October 4th, 2008. For further activities of Alex Nowitz at STEIM check out: a Solo Concert at STEIM MicroJamboree vol. 2 or Alex Nowitz - STEIM projects 2007-2008.

In February 2008 he realized the conceptual idea of presenting his chamber music in a spatially open positioning of performers and audience which in a sense is comparable to an installation or art exhibition. Other art forms such as dance, video and light have been integrated into the presentation as well: "Wolfsgeheul", for four musicians, two dancers, multichannel tape, interactive video and visuals. Coproduction of "intersonanzen 2008" and fabrik Potsdam.

Alex Nowitz studied music in Munich, Berlin, Potsdam (USA) und Potsdam (Germany): composition with Gerhard Rosenfeld (GER) and David Heinick, electronic composition with Paul Steinberg (both USA) and classical singing with Floyd Callahan (USA), Michael Büttner and Gerold Herrmann (both GER). In 2000 he gratuated "with first class honours" as Diplommusikpädagoge (major subject: voice) at the Institute for Music and Music Education at the University of Potsdam (GER). He was artist in residence at the Schloss Wiepersdorf (2002/06), Kuenstlerhaus Lukas Ahrenshoop, Leighton Studios Banff Center for the Arts (Canada, 2005/07), STEIM (Amsterdam, 2007/08/09) and at EMS (Electroacoustic Music in Sweden/Stockholm, 2009). He got several grants by the Stiftung Kulturfonds Berlin/Brandenburg, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Berlin and by the Ministery for Science, Research and Culture of Land Brandenburg (MWFK).

On following links you will find scores (pdf files) and sound samples (flash player): werke, stimmkunst, "Die Bestmannoper".

For further information please feel free to contact the artist: info@nowitz.de