CLUB CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL (C3)

At C3, classical piano virtuoso and pop musician Kai Schumacher mixes contemporary classical, techno, sound bites and a touch of jazz using grand piano, toy piano and electronics in a program featuring composers Jacob TV, Christopher Biggs, Keith Kirchoff, Gene Pritsker and Carolyn Yarnell.

Kai Schumacher's repertory places special emphasis on contemporary American music for the piano. In addition to numerous European premiere performances, he works closely with composers of the younger generation: for example in his project Darling, I'm indeed useless to you - 12 Variations without Amanda Palmer (premiere January 2009) for which 12 composers, ranging from jazz to avantgarde, wrote one variation each based on a theme composed by Kai Schumacher. In cooperation with the Duisburg Philharmonic, he is developing new forms for concert presentation, mixing classical and contemporary piano music with rock electronica, also using light and video installations to form a collage that attracts younger audiences and older critics alike. Crossover as a well-considered experiment, not merely cheap provocation. But Kai Schumacher is not only active as a proponent of contemporary and traditional classical music; he also is active as the keyboard player with the pop band Mobilée, a group about to be signed by a major label.