Hallo,
I´m Konrad Koselleck, born in Heidelberg, Germany on the 9th of march 1971. When I was seven years old I heard a strange but inviting sound in the house of my parents. I followed it and found out that the new boyfriend of my sister played the trumpet. That was the start of my musical career.
In 1985 after seven years of trumpet playing I changed to the piano. The seemingly orchestral possibilities took my interest: I discovered that the piano could sound like a whole band.
The birth of Trio In Aspik plus C in 1990 was the begining of many varied musical experiences. In this quartet, where I played the piano and wrote 50% of the repertoire, I could develop my musical imagination. We got famous. Well, at least in our province. The region around Bielefeld. (...somewhere in the east of Westfalen, northern Germany.)
Around that time I nourished my professional aspirations by choosing to study jazz piano in Hilversum, the Netherlands. There were a lot of good teachers, many bring the first choice sidemen for the American musicians, who signed Europeans for their tours. I was a student of Frans Elsen, Rob Madna and Henk Elkerbout.
My musical mind is full with the colours from all kind of instruments and their combinations. I wanted to learn how to write for them in the best way, to transfer these sounds from fantasy to reality. So I became a student of Jurre Haanstra, a brilliant composer, arranger and director, writing somewhere between jazz, pop and classical for all kinds of ensembles. He is one of the leading composers for filmscores and television in the Netherlands.
Living in Amsterdam, I got involved in a lot of different projects in the cultural scene.
Since 1999 I work as an arranger and composer for the Ricciotti Ensemble, a unique chamber orchestra playing music from Mozart to Madonna.
Along with being a teacher for combo / theory / piano at the DJAM (a private school for Jazz and light music in Amsterdaml) I started working as the director of the big band Seabreeze in IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
In 1999 I was invited to take part in the Euroring Arrangers Workshop with the Metropole Orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza. You can listen to the results of 3 1/2 days and short nights on the demopage.
In 2001 "BWQ" was founded by the young and talented tromboneplayer Bastiaan Woltjer where I play the piano along with Robbert van Hulzen on drums and Jelte van Andel on double bass. We play a lot of original stuff...
In 2002 I started teaching composition to students of the Amsterdamse Theater Academie. I like the dramatic and comical aspects of music and here I can learn also from my students.
In 2003 the Comedy Band started playing and acting inspired by Spike Jones and Monty Python. Guess who plays the piano and makes some of the compositions. Here maybe some answers are given: www.comedyband.nl
In 2004 I got the opportunity to build up my own Big Band! Have a look on Konrad Koselleck Big Band and listen to the demo on this website.
Coments on music arranged / composed by Konrad Koselleck
"A few months ago I rehearsed some big band arrangements of Konrad Koselleck and I was amazed to hear his skill and maturity and artistry.His charts show spiritual freshness, originality, craftmanship as well as respect for the tradition. The arrangements have a natural flow and are fun to play."
—Eric van Lier (basstromboneplayer / teacher Conservatorium van Amsterdam)
"I think Konrad Koselleck is a really talented young, up and coming arranger. His arrangements, which I have recently heard, shows much originallity and creativity, leaving you wanting more."
—Peter Herbolzheimer (leader / arranger of the BuJazzO, the all-german youth bigband and his own "Rhythmcombination and Brass")
"Today I listened to your recordings and feel I have to comliment you on your CD. You are obviously versatile and I was especially touched by your two classical pieces. The arrangements featuring Ronald Douglas are tastefulland adventurous. Your big band arrangements sound good. To sum up, high class."
—Frits Bayens (Producer Music Department of the Netherlands Radio) about the final exame.
"Een negen voor Konrad Koselleck"
—Newspaper review (IJmuidense Courant, 23-03-2001) of my final exame at the Amsterdam Conservatory
"With great pleasure I joined the concert of the Konrad Koselleck Big Band on 5 may 2004 in the Bimhuis. Listening back the recordings of that evening I immediately recall the great musicianship of the director/arranger Konrad Koselleck and his men,
—Henk Meutgeert, director of the Jazzorchestra of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam