Stefan Schultze

German composer and pianist, Stefan Schultze, stylistically unites elements of new music, improvisation, the avantgarde and jazz. His passion includes the collective sound of large instrumentations, for which he was awarded the WDR-Jazz Prize for Composition in 2010, and also the coupling of improvisation with composition for smaller formations. He leads and plays in a variety of ensembles ranging from solo piano to large ensembles. An essential feature of his work is the integration of noise, preparations and extended playing techniques within his compositions.
After his piano studies with John Taylor at Cologne Conservatory, Stefan Schultze studied jazz composition at Manhattan School of Music with Michael Abene and new music with Reiko Fueting.
Stefan Schultze appears on many national and international festivals and has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wu Wei, Nils Wogram, Simon Rose, Herb Robertson, Frank Gratkowski, Matthias Schubert, Paulo Álvares, Gebhard Ullmann, John Schröder and others.