Manuel Krass: German Pianist, Actor, Arranger and Composer

Christina chats with her wildly talented friend Manuel Krass about getting his start in music on a beat up piano in his basement, reinventing yourself as a creator, working with fear and  PTSD, and how the pandemic led him to find joy in lego.
 
Manuel Krass, born in 1988, is a pianist, actor, and creative mind in the space between art forms.

After completing his jazz piano studies at the University of Music Saar, he quickly delved into the interdisciplinary realm. In 2012, he composed and performed ballet music for "Silent Mov(i)e," commissioned by the Saarländisches Staatstheater for the Donlon Dance Company (Marguerite Donlon). Since then, he has become a sought-after figure in the independent arts scene of the southwest, making guest appearances at state and city theaters as a composer, arranger, stage musician, and actor. Notable productions include "Untergang" (Theater Trier, Thomas Dannemann), "Was ihr wollt" (Théâtre national du Luxembourg, Frank Hoffmann), "Jekyll & Hyde" (Deutsches Theater München/Zeltpalast Merzig, Andreas Gergen), and "Plus Ultra" (Saarländisches Staatstheater, Die Redner).

Manuel has released several albums, including four under his own name, gaining recognition among a wider audience. His works have been nominated for the Vierteljahrespreis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Quarterly Prize of German Record Critics) and reviewed in F.A.Z., Jazzthetik, and the New York Cadence Magazine. 

From 2012 to 2022, he held a lectureship for jazz piano, big band, ensemble, music theory, and ear training at the University of Music Saar.

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