Stephan Maria Karl was born in Oberndorf (Salzburg, Austria). He spent his childhood in Seekirchen, and graduated from the Werkschulheim Felbertal private school. After completing his civil service he began training towards a teaching degree in 2000. From 2002 onwards Karl studied music & composition theory in the class of Ernst Ludwig Leitner at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2007 he began to study compostion under the supervision of Reinhard Febel as well as conducting with Jorge Rotter. In 2008 Karl completed his studies and gained a master's degree in music theory with focus on composition. Since 2008 he has been a doctoral student at the Universität Mozarteum, working on a dissertation under the title: "Synthese zwischen tonalen und atonalen Klangstrukturen" (Synthesis between tonal and atonal sound structures). At the same time, he began studying composition with Kenneth Hesketh at the Royal College of Music in London in 2009.
Karl has attended masterclasses and workshops of such composers as Steve Reich, Helmut Lachenmann, Mathias Pintscher, Toshio Hosokawa, Georges Aphergis, Hanspeter Kyburz, Minas Borboudakis, Johannes Maria Staud, Gerhard Müller-Hornbach and Don Williams.
His compositions were performed both in his native Austria, and abroad, including, among other occasions, the International Chamber Music Festival in Stellenbosch, South Africa (2007), the ECAT-Festival (Edinburgh Contemporary Arts Trust) in Edinburgh (2007), and during the Salzburg Composers' Night (2006, 2007). His first orchestral composition "Pluto" for large orchestra was performed for the first time by the Symphony Orchestra of the Universität Mozarteum, under the direction of Dennis Russell Davies. On account of this, the Universität Mozarteum recommended Karl to participate in the Talent Market of the principal Austrian radio Ö1. He delivered a presentation entitled "Current Trends in a "new" Musical Age – Music/Art and the Artists' Moral Responsibility" at the Third International Symposium Poetica & Cristianesimo in Rome in 2007, on occasion of the performance of his "Sonate B.A.C.H." |
2009, the composer's most successful year so far, has seen concerts in Salzburg, Udine, Pordenone, Montreal, and Toronto. Among these, his second orchestral composition"Hybris" for singing bowls, orator, and orchestra premiered on the centennial anniversary of the Alternative Nobel Prize holder Leopold Kohr of Salzburg, performed by the Young Philharmony Salzburg under the baton of Elisabeth Fuchs at the Great Hall of Salzburg in March 2009, and recorded by the Austrian Radio ORF. Another performances followed on October 5, 2009, in collaboration with the Austrian Minister of Science Dr. Johannes Hahn and Vice-Governor of the province Dr. Wilfried Haslauer, and on November 12, 2009 in Royal College of Music London. At last Karl was invited as Composer in Residence in Soundings 2010, a contemporary festival in the Wigmore Hall London which is yearly organized by the Austrian Culture Forum.
Apart from his activity as a composer, Stephan Maria Karl has participated as organizer in many other artistic projects. Among other things, he has worked as Vice-Head of the Mozarteum Student Association (2007-2009), Assistant at the Universität Mozarteum (2006-2009) and Technical Manager at CP-Classics (2008). The high point of his managerial activities came in 2008 with the organization of a charity concert for financially disadvantaged music students, where world-renowned musicians, such as Martin Grubinger, Pavel Gililov, Irena Grafenauer and the newly created String Orchestra of Salzburg (Salzburger Streichorchester) participated. |
