Michael Gees
Pianist and composer Michael Gees won the Steinway competition in 1961 and made his concert debut at the age of ten. Whilst studying music in Salzburg, Wien, Detmold and Hannover, he devoted equal time to performing jazz, standard classical repertoire and composing. The first recordings of his work, released in the early 80s, led to a number of subsequent commissions. In 1989 he founded forum kunstvereint (“Art Unites”) to give scope for the development of childrens’ creativity. Since 2001 he has been the Artistic Director of the Consol Theater in Gelsenkirchen. M. Gees' repertory ranges from Scarlatti to contemporary music. He is a prolific recording artist and, since 1991, has become a regular on the touring circuit, both as an accompanist as well as a recitalist of innovative programmes. He appears regularly in the world's most significant venues. His long- standing collaboration with Christoph Prégardien includes several recordings; he has also released CDs of solo piano music, combining interpretations, extempores and his own compositions.