Kai Johannes Polzhofer
Kai Johannes Polzhofer was born in Munich 1989. The German-Austrian composer received his earliest composition lessons with Prof. Kay Westermann and many years of instrumental training in trumpet, violin and piano as well as conducting lessons among others with Martina Bauer (Musikhochschule München) and Markus Rainer (Munich Philharmonic). At the same time he attended between 2004 and 2008 the philosophy department of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich as a guest student.
Since completing classical grammar school in St. Ottilien (Bavaria), he has studied philosophy and composition in Graz and Leipzig. 2013 B.A. (University Leipzig) in philosophy and Diploma in composition (Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy”, Leipzig).
His teachers include Klaus Lang, Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, Wolfram Schurig, Steven Kazuo Takasugi and Chaya Czernowin. He also had private lessons with Gösta Neuwirth. Fellowships and prizes (Austromechana, Academy Schloss Solitude, International Summeracademy Prag / Wien / Budapest, Francis Boot Prize). He received a national scholarship (“Deutschlandstipendium”) and is the cofounder and artistic advisor of forma Leipzig. His music was played by Ensemble Sur Plus, Ensemble Mosaik, Ensemble forma Leipzig. Publications i.a. in Musik und Ästhetik and New Musics and Aesthetics in the 21st Century.
He currently undertakes a PhD in Composition at Harvard University (Cambridge). Polzhofer’s music is published by Edition Gravis (Berlin).
Last updated: December 17, 2019
