Composer
Biography:
Michael Quell, born in 1960, studied classical guitar, music education and musicology at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts from 1981 to 1985, as well as philosophy and theology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. At the same time he studied composition with Hans-Ulrich Engelmann and from 1985 to 1989 in the master class with Rolf Riehm. Michael Quell lives as a composer in Fulda and has been teaching music theory, analysis and aesthetics at the Musicological Institute of the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main since 2008. In addition, he regularly receives invitations as a guest lecturer at various universities.
Michael Quell has received numerous commissions for compositions, and his works have received several international composition awards: e.g. Toyoko Yamashita Composition Prize 1989 (Berlin), selection for WP at the Gaudeamus Composition Competition 1988 (Amsterdam), Elisabeth Schneider Composition Prize 2003, Barlow Commissioning Award 2011 (USA) and Bowling Green State University Composition Prize 2013 (USA).
His works have been performed at international festivals (e.g. Festival de musique Montreux-Vevey; Gaudeamus Musikwoche, Amsterdam; Darmstadt Summer Courses; Witten Days for New Chamber Music; Perth Festival; Los Angeles Chamber Music America Festival; ZeitRäume Basel; SoundScape Festival Pavia and Maccagno; Festival the cutting edge, New York City; CMS Boston Massachusetts; Festival Músicaviva, Cuenca, Ecuador; Sound Ways Festival, Saint Petersburg) as well as in renowned concert series (e.g. in Berlin, London, Montréal, Melbourne, Vienna, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Chengdu [China], Rosario and La Plata [Argentina]) and broadcast by almost all German as well as numerous European, Canadian and American radio stations.
One of the focal points of Michael Quell's work is dealing with the chances and possibilities of composition in an interdisciplinary dialogue.
Publications by TONOS-Musikverlag, Baden-Baden and by Edition Gravis, Berlin, CD recordings (by NEOS, Bayer, Dabringhaus etc.) as well as musicological publications e.g. in LIT Verlag and Wolke Verlag.
Albums: