Christoph Cech (Austria - exploring Great Britain)
Christoph Cech, born 1960 in Vienna, likes it large. The author of 3 operas, of a mass and various orchestra works is not only known as non-conformist conducting composer, he also appears as charismatic Bigband-leader, sensitive keyboarder in small formations and sometimes even as drummer.
Cech's talent to make music immediately experienceable and to allow an untense access to improvisation and rhythm, was coinvolved in the success of JIM - the Institute for Jazz and improvised Music at the Bruckner University Linz/Austria - his head of department Cech is since 1999 and led above all in the last decade to orders in advanced teachers training. Since 2011 he develops the project „The big map“ by order of the Austrian Culture Ministery, a matter of setting up improvisation as a learning catalyst in the hole school system.
Christoph Cech comes out since the early 80s years as (co)founder and keyboarder/composer/conductor in numerous ensembles with international concert activity, under it in jazz the Nouvelle Cuisine Bigband, Striped Roses, trio Mondautos, Jubilo 11, Giuffre zone, trio ZaVoCC, duet Mütter – Cech, trio Heginger – Herbert – Cech and in the field of the new music Janus Ensemble and - quite actually - Max Brand ensemble.
Cech's compositional work encloses a fullness of pieces for small Ensembles in experimental jazz and chamber music and a big number of works for bigband and symphonic concepts.
1996: „Aus allen Blüten Bitternis“, opera about Stefan Zweig in the Viennese Chamber Opera
1998 „Requiem für einen lebenden Toten“ for the Bruckner Festival Linz
1999 "Tripelkonzert" for the Viennese Piano Trio and the Camerata Bregenz in the „großer Musikvereinssaal“
2004 "IO", orchestral work for the opening of the Bruckner Festival Linz, in the same year artist in Residence at Brucknerhaus Linz
2005: "Orfeo" after the original of C.Monteverdi, production of the New Opera Vienna
2008 Hofkirche Innsbruck: "Missa" for the Tirol Festival Erl
Linz 09: Projectmanagement Kantate „Ida and Jim“,
„Dancing engines – Arriving“ for the project „Wood and Metal“
2010 artist in Residence Musik aktuell Niederösterreich
3/26/2010: UA „Totentanzfragmente“ Minoritenkirche Stein/Krems
8/19/2010: UA „Die Unnumerierte“ Bruckner days Sankt Florian
1998 - In 2005 teached Christoph Cech harmonics and counterpoint at the Music University Vienna, in 1999 he he cames to Anton Bruckner Private University Linz as the head of the department JIM for Jazz and improvised music, in 2004 at the same place habilitation to university professor in Jazz composition.