Composer and theatre-maker, born in 1952, has lived in Frankfurt/Main since 1972; studied sociology and music. Scenic concerts, radio plays, compositions for ensemble and large orchestra (Surrogate Cities, 1994, A House Of Call 2021). Music theatre works since the early 90s: Ou bien le débarquement désastreux (Paris 1993), Schwarz auf Weiss (Frankfurt, 1996), Max Black (Lausanne, 1998), Eislermaterial (Munich, 1998), Landschaft mit entfernten Verwandten (Geneva, 2002), Eraritjaritjaka (Lausanne, 2004), Songs of Wars I have seen (London, 2007) Stifters Dinge (Lausanne, 2007), I went to the house but did not enter (Edinburgh, 2008), When the Mountain changed its clothing (Bochum, 2012), Everything that happened and would happen (2018) and others.With all his concerts and music theatre pieces, numerous guest performances at the world’s most important music, theatre and art festivals.
Sound and video installations Documenta 1987 & 1997, Artangel London 2012, Musée d’art contemporain Lyon 2014, Albertinum Dresden 2016, New Space Moscow 2017, Kunsthalle Gießen 2018, Museo de Arte Bogota 2019, Elefsina 2023, Vilnius 700 2023, Museo Reina Sofia Madrid 2023, Musée du Luxembourg Paris 2023, World Heritage Völklingen 2023
CD productions with ecm-records, anthologies “Composition as Staging” (2002), “Aesthetics of Absence” (2012). Numerous international radio play, theatre and music prizes (Prix Italia, European Theatre Prize, International Ibsen Award and many more).
Composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival; artist in residence, Cornell University, Ithaca. Member of several academies of the arts, Honourable Fellow of Dartington College of Arts and the Central School of Speech and Drama, London; Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (2007/08). Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University and the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Sofia.
1999-2018 Professor at the Institute for Applied Theatre Studies at Justus Liebig University Giessen; 2006-2018 President of the Hessian Theatre Academy.
Director of the Ruhrtriennale – International Festival of the Arts 2012-2014.
From 2018 to 2024, he was appointed by the President of Justus Liebig University as the first holder of the Georg Büchner Professorship.
