Barbara Morgenstern

My studio is my home! This is the place, which represents me the most, where I feel free and safe and where I have got everything I need just around me.

What I do in one sentence: I write, produce and perform music: my own music, compositions for my choir Chor der Kulturen der Welt / HKW, and for theater pieces with the theater group Rimini Protokoll.

Why I didn’t get a proper job: Never had one, never aimed for one, after school I realized: I want to work as a musician / composer, so I’m investing everything in it and it works since school – finger’s crossed! And: Music is a proper job!

An artwork I dream of and I would get accomplished if space, time and money were abundant: Choir / Orchestra or Choir / Organ / Saxophone piece.

Why I do what I do: I mainly have two motivations: A: inventing music is the most exciting thing I know of. Creating a new space, emotionally and atmospherically is absolutely fulfilling. B: actually playing music, getting in this flow state of mind between high focus and letting things go is physically and mentally absolutely enjoyable.

Artists, I have on my watch list (and why): Anna Meredith – absolutely brilliant and inspiring British composer, would love to work with her once. Esmeralda Conde Ruiz – London based choir conductor, we’ve just worked together for the Matthew Herbert Brexit Big Band – would love to invent a choir project with her. Christian Biegai – great Saxophone player from Berlin, want to make an instrumental album with him. Macio Moretti / Mitch & Mitch – Warsaw based drummer and part of the Big Band Mitch & Mitch, who realize fantastic music projects – collaboration is planned for almost 2 years now, but we both always have too much other stuff to do…

I am afraid of illness.

How I want to be buried resp. words I want to be written on my tombstone: Finally, after death, I will get all the recognition I’ve dreamt of (in compensation for all the lifetime struggling), huge tombstone with score on it and (attention – joke!): Here lies the great composer Barbara Morgenstern.