Susanna Gartmayer, bass clarinet, works in the fields of multi-ideomatic
improvisation, experimental rock, contemporary music and multi-media sound
research. She is part of many ensembles for organised and improvised music. She
studied fine arts in Vienna and did a self-study in bass clarinet and
composition. She is part of many ensembles of elusive musical genres – for
instance, Experimental Rock Band ‘broken.heart.collector’ (with bulbul &
Maja Osojnik) and ‘The Vegetable Orchestra’ (music for vegetable instruments,
in existence since 1998). Her music oscillates between detailed sound research
and meticulously fixed structures, on the one hand, and – on the other hand –
the need to maintain a continuously improvisatorial approach, due to the
unreliability of the chosen sound material (e.g., multiphonics) or instruments
(old rickety clarinets or vegetables). Recently, she released two records,
which have gained international attention: AOUIE –Solos for Bass Clarinet and
möström – we speak whale.
