Christina Worthmann – piano
Raffael Kircher – alto saxophone
Leonie Mayer – violin
The music we play is created ad hoc, it is improvised, and therefore unpredictable. And yet we play pieces with a beginning and an end, to which we give titles as a direction and thematic orientation. In the search for resonances, unforeseen, sometimes humorous, sometimes absurd, melancholic or even thoughtful auditory images emerge. We explore various improvisational forms of playing and enter into intensive musical communication.
The concert takes place as part of the “Improvisation Pedagogy” training course with Peter Jarchow, admission is free, donations are welcome.
After the concert, we invite you to wind down together with a glass of wine or juice.
The pianist Christina Worthmann studied at the HMTM Hannover and also received important artistic inspiration from several international master classes, including those with Peter Feuchtwanger, Thomas Quasthoff and Charles Spencer. Engagements as a répétiteur at national and international singing competitions (including DTKV, Bavarian Music Academy Hammelburg, Bilbao) have further refined her artistic craft.
Her passionate interest in the versatility of musical language is reflected in her activities: classical song accompaniment, choir accompaniment (classical, pop, jazz) and chamber music are a focus; she has also been on stage for many years in several ensembles with cross-disciplinary formats – staged song recitals and readings, improvisational theater – in which she combines different musical styles and also improvisation.
Christina Worthmann is a lecturer for piano, répétiteur and improvisation at the CJD School Schlaffhorst-Andersen in Bad Nenndorf; She also gives workshops in the field of classical to pop for amateurs and professionals and master classes in collaboration with opera singers. www.christinaworthmann.de
Leonie Mayer has been working as a violinist and singer as well as a music therapist and improvisation teacher in the Dortmund-Witten area since 2006. Her current performative focus is on the improvisation and composition of music in connection with dance and movement theater as well as her singer-songwriter project Gwendolyn&Ich, in which she uses violin and voice with influences from classical, pop, world music and experimental folklore.
After 8 years of training in classical violin and piano, and many years of playing in various orchestras and ensembles, she led choir projects together with Mariana Sadovska (Ukrainian polyphony) and Stefan Lakatos (madrigals by the composer Louis Hardin aka Moondog). She has also participated in numerous theater projects and workshops. She has been part of the Studio7 Schwerte ensemble since 2010 and co-founder of the improvisation festival for dance and music “JamJam Festival Velbert”, where she worked as a musician, workshop leader and in 2021/22 as musical director.
Raffael Kircher received piano lessons from the age of ten, initially classical, later with a focus on improvisation. In his youth he was involved with electronic music and recording techniques. Saxophone initially self-taught, later intensive apprenticeship with J. Barthelmes in Berlin.
1989 Founding of the world jazz formation “Kirit” with drummer Th. Ritthoff, among others. Concerts at home and abroad, several self-produced albums. Collaboration with Brigitte Menon (Paris, sitar), Hossam Shaker (Cairo, Kanoun), Shanti Oyarzabal (Mexico City, physical theater), among others. Silent film concerts, theater music and readings with music.
Current projects: “Mu’Izza – Rumi’s Cat”, Sufi poetry and dervish dance, emerging from the “Rumi Project” (2009-2018).
“Duo Bapho”, own pieces and improvisations with Uwe Siewert-Busch, double bass.
“From working with artists from many parts of the world, I have developed a versatile, broad spectrum of expression that ranges from free, experimental sound images to concrete, rhythmic-melodic compositions and improvisations.” www.raffaelkircher.de
Free entry, donations requested
All Corona regulations currently in force in the exploratorium can be found here .
