Michael Gross

Michael Gross
Composer and trumpeter

born in Illingen (Saar), began playing the trumpet at the age of 9. After a classical education (studying trumpet in Saarbrücken and Karlsruhe), he concentrated on all kinds of contemporary music and performed with the MUSIKFABRIK NRW, the KLANGFORUM WIEN, the ENSEMBLE MODERN and the Ensemble MUSIQUE VIVANTE as an ensemble player and as a soloist, including projects with Frank Zappa, Karlheinz Stockhausen, György Ligeti, Vinko Globokar, Mauricio Kagel, The Artensemble of Chicago, Heiner Goebbels and many others.
Since 1995 he has been increasingly active as an improviser, playing with Butch Morris’ Berlin Skyscraper Orchestra, Elliott Sharp, Tony Buck, Joe Williamson, Frank Schulte, Manos Tsangaris, Johannes Bauer, Conny Bauer, Jon Rose, Wolfgang Fuchs and others. Participation in jazz and pop bands, including Swim Two Birds, Frigg, Palinckx.
Numerous CD and radio productions in all areas.
With Bernd Thewes, Michael Gross was founder and director of the “Illinger Burgfest für Neue Musik” (1987-97), 1996-2002 lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts. In 2001, he founded the record label “Acapulco Records” with Mark Scheibe.

Since 1996, he has been increasingly involved in composition, focusing on theater music and sound installations.
1998 music for a dance theater about Fortunato Depero,
1999 with Sylvana Krappatsch in the play “La Musica 2” by Marguerite Duras, directed by Christof Coburger (Kammerspiele Düsseldorf), for which he received the Theaterzwang Festival Prize in Dortmund.
2000 Realization of a musical-literary evening about Rolf Dieter Brinkmann for EXPO 2000.
2002 Arrangement of the music by Hanns Eisler for Brecht’s “The Mother” for Claus Peymann’s production at the Berliner Ensemble.
2003 Composition of the music for “Saint Joan of the Stockyards”, also at the BE with Claus Peymann,
foundation of the pop band “HerrGross & the Mother Orchestra”,
with Manfred Karge workshop “Brecht and Music” in Tokyo.
Michael Gross lives in Berlin.