Katrin Zenz

Also known by her Greek name Κατερίνα Τσεντς / Katerina Zenz

German flutist Katrin Zenz has been acclaimed a «sensible and virtuoso player with great authority». She is a distinguished pioneer of contemporary music, and «a magnificent improvisation artist, who knows how to tame her flutes and to elicit them the most incredible and wonderful tones, which extend the world of sounds of the flute» (Schwarzwälder Bote).

In addition to her «impressive technique and breath control, her sense of time and timing, she belongs to the rare category of a virtuoso player with unique expressiveness and versatile interests» (Sunday Kathimerini Athens). Her flute becomes a «magic flute», «her alto flute playing is among the best, and she skillfully executes demanding multiphonics» (American Record Guide).

«Absolutely perfect in tone, intonation and interpretation» (Flöte Aktuell 2016).

«Zenz explores a multitude of the flute’s sounds ‘free of musical judgement other than being attractive’. I can think of no better way both to perform and to listen to Cage’s work» (Flutist Quarterly NFA, USA).

«My admiration goes to the highly skillful playing of the German born, Katrin Zenz, whose technical brilliance is outstanding» (David’s Review Corner).

«Katrin’s flute is wonderfully played and she triumphs over some music that in lesser hands might become tedious. Ultimately the music SOUNDS well, very well. That this is so is of course a testament to Cage’s brilliance but also to the superlative artistry of Ms. Zenz, her thorough research that has unearthed worthy treasures. Molto bravo!» (Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review).

Born in 1964 in Donaueschingen in southern Germany, she is a flutist specializing in contemporary and avant-garde music. Brilliantly familiar with a broad spectrum of music, she integrates flute music of all centuries into new concepts of open polymorphic forms and spaces for performance.

She has worked extensively as a soloist and chamber musician, and has been a founding member of many chamber ensembles and ensembles of free improvisation. She was particularly known through her solo and chamber music repertoire, having worked with the German ensembles Vivier Trio and Ensemble Köln. She has also been a regular member of the Camerata Athens and the Ensemble Skalkottas. Her collaborations have included composers such as Clarence Barlow, Walter Zimmermann, Tom Johnson, Chris Newman, and James Tenney.

In 1992–93 she was invited to Basel, Switzerland, as resident performer at the electroacoustic music studio of the Music Academy, focusing on combining modern technological media with live interactive performance. Since 1993 she has been established in Greece, where she premiered many works for flute by modern Greek composers. She was a founding member and co-director of the ensemble ACTIS, specializing in contemporary music.

She is founder and artistic director of the Ensemble TORA, with which she realizes major multimedia projects with open form at the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens (Hommage to Anestis Logothetis 2012, Musicircus John Cage 2012, Ommagio a Luciano Berio 2013).

Due to her research in the use of extended techniques she is brought into close contact with many composers, and subsequently over 100 international world-premiere commissions and performances have been initiated and given by her.

Recent recordings include The Complete Flute Works by John Cage, Vol. I & II (NAXOS 8.⁵⁵⁹⁷⁷³⁄₂₀₁₅ and 8.⁵⁵⁹⁷⁷⁴⁄₂₀₁₆). Other solo recordings include Greek Flute Music of the 20th & 21st Centuries (NAXOS 8.⁵⁷²³⁶⁹⁄₂₀₁₁), works for solo flute by Anastassis Philippakopoulos (Edition Wandelweiser, 2006, 2014), works for flute and chamber music by Iannis Ioannidis (Society of Music, Athens, 1998), Eternity and a Day by Eleni Karaindrou (ECM New Series / ECM, 1999), and numerous works by other Greek composers.

Discography (Naxos)#

Greek Flute Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries (²⁰¹⁰⁄₂₀₁₁) — featuring works by Antoniou, Terzakis, Logothetis, Kounadis, Ioannidis, Adamis, Borboudakis, Tsangaris, Kossona, Koumendakis, and Couroupos. Recorded at the Hans-Rosbaud-Studio, Baden-Baden.
John Cage: Complete Works for Flute, Vol. 1 (2015) and Vol. 2 (2016) — recorded at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens. A reviewer praised her work, noting her artistry, tonal beauty, and command of extended techniques.

Katrin Zenz is dedicated to teaching young people and holds the position of Professor of Flute in the Department of Music at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. She was also a Research and Teaching Staff Member of the Laboratory for Wind Ensembles (WELAB), and founded and directed the flute ensemble ΦΥΣΩ (Physo) there.

Her teaching is based on the development of all learning skills, starting first from music and afterwards applying them to the flute. She focuses on contact and dialogue with the students, and on their personal and artistic development. She teaches music by cultivating the musical senses and deep knowledge of the musical text. Through this educational approach, she maintains very good relationships with her students also after graduation, and together they achieve very high results. Her students have been distinguished in numerous competitions, such as the 1st Urs Rüttimann Competition in Athens, the Panhellenic Flute Competition of the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, the Annual Competition of Interpretation of the University of Macedonia, and the Flutemeetings Competition in Volos and Larissa, and have continued with postgraduate and doctoral studies in Germany, America, England, Belgium, and Austria.

She also coached students who went on to international careers — among them flutist-composer Evgenios Anastasiadis, who completed his bachelor studies in flute with Prof. Katrin Zenz at the University of Macedonia.

She organized the International FLUTEMEETING in Larissa through her organization FluteArt — an international flute festival featuring master classes, concerts, workshops, exhibitions, lectures, and competitions.

She has studied with Carin Levine and deepened her musical and flutist knowledge with Peter-Lukas Graf, the most decisive encounter in her recent musical life.

She holds a PhD in Music with the topic «The Polyphonic effects on the flute», a systematic theory for analyzing multiphonics under the acoustical features of the flute.

She has given master classes and performances at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Universität für Musik & Darstellende Kunst Wien, the Californian Institute of the Arts (CalArts), the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Redlands, the National Music Academy of Croatia in Zagreb, the Conservatory of Music of Luxembourg, the Internationale Ferienkurse in Darmstadt, the International Flute Summer School of Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK, and others.

She also performed at Onassis Stegi (Luciano Berio tribute, 2013), and regularly at the Christuskirche in Donaueschingen with Trio Windbrücke.

She published the book The Art of Studying the Flute (Edition fagotto books, Athens, 2018), in Greek and English, exploring an approach to guiding creative musicianship on the flute.

Discography (Naxos)#

Links#