Curriculum vitae

„The literal embodiment of music, with which I mean the bodily aspects of playing an instrument, has an almost magical attraction for me.“

Margit Kern, who was born near Darmstadt in 1967, studies accordion under Hugo Noth and Matti Rantanen. She was instructed in the Analysis of Contemporary music by Anneli Arho-Tiensuu. She sucessfully completed her studies and received her diploma as a concert musician. A number of scholarships from the „Evangelisches Studienwerk“ and several prizes supported her musical development. She was awarded first place at the „International Gaudeamus Competition for Interpreters of Contemporary Music“ which marked the beginning of her international concert career.

Margit Kern plys solo recitals and has performed in chamber ensembles on tours of most European countries, as well as the USA and South Korea. She has often performed as a soloist with the Rotterdam Philharmisch Orkest and with Nouvelle Cuisine fort he Gustav Mahler Composition Prize. In addition she has played with various new music ensembles such as Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intégrales, l’art pur l’art, oh ton-ensemble and Musikfabrik NRW. In“modern duo project“ with Katharina Bäuml she bridges the musical gap between old and new music. She was also a guest at the Seoul spring festival, The Weltmusiktage (World Music Festival) in Stuttgart, Musica Viva in Munich and the Ruhrtriennale in Bochum. In her solo recital „im spiegel-ich“ (drei menschenbilder) („in the mirror me“- three people pictures) she performed at the Forum Neue Musik of the Deutschlandfunk, for whom she had already performed many premieres of solo music.

Contemporary music represents the main focus of her repertory. She works together with composers and has performed the premieres of numerous compositions. Amongst others are works by Charlotte Seither, Earl Kim, Anntte Schlünz, Younghi Pagh-Paan, Jin-Ah Ahn, Manfred Stahnke and Samir Odeh-Tamimi. Much of her work, such as the proframme „HanNAH“ with works commissioned by the Deutschlandfunk for accordion and Live Electronics, has been documented as live recordings of radio broadcasts. In 2055 she released her first solo CD entitled „Heart“. Margit Kern teaches Accordion at University of the Arts, Bremen.