Karola Obermueller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Karola Obermueller
Karola Obermüller
Born	(1977-03-21) 21 March 1977 (age 48) Darmstadt, West Germany
Nationality	German
Occupation	Composer and teacher

Karola Obermueller (born March 21, 1977, in Darmstadt, Germany) is a talented German composer and teacher. She creates new music and helps others learn about composition.

Karola Obermueller's Life and Education

Karola Obermueller started her music journey at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt. She studied how to compose music with several famous teachers. These included Volker Blumenthaler, Theo Brandmüller, and Adriana Hölszky.

In 2010, she earned a special degree called a doctorate from Harvard University in the United States. There, she continued to learn from more amazing composers.

Teaching and Awards

Karola Obermueller has shared her knowledge by teaching at different schools. She taught at Wellesley College and helped young composers at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Since 2010, she has been a director for the composition program at the University of New Mexico. This means she helps guide students who want to become composers.

She has received many awards for her music. These include the Darmstädter Musikpreis and the Bayerischer Jugendpreis. She also got awards and special requests to create music from groups like the Fromm Foundation and the ASCAP Morton Gould Awards.

Working with Peter Gilbert

Karola Obermueller often works with her husband, Peter Gilbert, who is also a composer. They have created two operas together. An opera is a play where the story is told mostly through singing.

They also made a cool art project called An Overlapping of Spaces. This project used special speakers that surrounded the audience. People could even interact with the art using iPods. This unique artwork was shown at the Davis Museum and Cultural Center for two years.

Their most recent project together is called Listening to Mountains. This work has been performed in Germany and Australia. Karola and Peter teach together at the University of New Mexico. They also have two children.

Operas by Karola Obermueller

Karola Obermueller has written several operas. Her first opera was called Dunkelrot, which means "Dark Red." It was performed in Nürnberg, Germany. The story was about an African woman looking for a safe place to live in Germany.

Her second opera, Helges Leben ("Helge's Life"), was based on a play by Sibylle Berg. She wrote this opera with another composer, Mark Moebius. It was first performed in 2009 by the Theater Bielefeld and was very well-received.

Collaborative Operas

Karola Obermueller and Peter Gilbert have worked on two operas together. One of their operas is a multimedia piece called Dreimaldrei gleich unendlich ("Three times three equals eternity"). This opera uses music, video, and electronics. It has been performed in both Germany and the United States. It even won an award from the National Opera Association.

They also worked on an opera called Robert S. with other composers. This opera was performed with Theater Bonn.

Other Musical Works

Karola Obermueller has composed many different types of music.

Stage Works

These are pieces created for performances on a stage, often involving acting or dancing.

• Robert S. (2011) – an opera for singers and an orchestra.
• Helges Leben (2008/09)
• dreimaldrei gleich unendlich (2009) – an opera for singers, actors, and instruments.
• Dunkelrot (Dark Red) (2005–2007) – an opera for singers, an actress, and an orchestra.
• Protuberanzen II (2001/02) – for instruments and dancers.
• Protuberanzen I (2001) – for instruments and dancers.
• My name is Urlappi (1998/99) – a smaller opera for singers and instruments.

Vocal Works

These pieces are written for singers, sometimes with instruments.

• mass.distance.time (2010) – for a choir.
• Untergegangen der Mond (2008) – for a singer and an ensemble (small group of musicians).
• in zwischen (in between / in the meantime) (2004) – for a soprano singer and various instruments.
• Einseitige Dialogue (one-sided dialogues) (2000–2002) – three pieces for a mezzo-soprano singer and piano.
• Three songs about love (1992–94) – for singers and instruments.
• The Gold (1999) – for a mezzo-soprano singer and percussion.

Orchestra Works

These are pieces written for a large group of musicians playing many different instruments.

• Glaube. Merke Rolle. (2011) – for 10 instruments and a voice.
• Kohlenmonoxyd.Nachtstück (2006) – for two sopranos, a narrator, a choir, and nine instruments.
• helical (2005/2006) – for a chamber orchestra (a smaller orchestra).
• Schalen (peels / shells) (2005) – for a full orchestra.
• volatile (2003/2004/2005) – for a chamber orchestra.
• Im Vorraum (In the anteroom) (2000–2002) – for a full orchestra.

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, usually one player per part.

• Las cosas, unas conducen an otras (2002/08) – for two flutes.
• Für Wilfried (2008) – for a solo horn, a piece she wrote with Peter Gilbert.
• ...silbern (2008) – for a solo bass flute.
• ...und Licht sich breitet aufs Meer... (2008) – for soprano saxophone and live electronics.
• reflejos distantes (2006) – for bass flute, bass clarinet, violin, and cello.
• Red Lake Fields 2 (2002/2006) – for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and percussion.
• will o' wisp (2006) – for recorder, flute, bass-koto, and accordion.
• WindKaskaden (2006) – for clarinet and accordion.
• gegen.wind.stärken 1 (2005/2006) – for great bass recorder and electronics.
• Nichts Fettes nichts Süßes. (Nothing Fat nothing Sweet.) (2001/2005) – for clarinet, alto saxophone, piano, and percussion.
• xs (2005) – for a string quartet (two violins, viola, cello).
• Knotenpunkte (points of knotting) (2005) – for alto flute, clarinet, harp, and string quartet.
• les sables mouvants (quicksand / drifting sand) (2004) – for clarinet, piano, violin, and cello.
• shraeng (2004) – for two electric guitars.
• but one adagio smile still lingers (2004) – for solo cello.
• Metamorphosen (metamorphoses) (since 2003) – for solo oboe.
• Kalpa><Pralaya (2002) – for bansuri, sitar, mridangam, and orchestra.
• Red Lake Fields (2001/02) – for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano.
• duo variabile I (2001/02) – for flute and recorder.
• the great secret lies (2001) – for pipa, kayagum, and marimbaphone.
• ....incalzando.... (1999-01) – for cor anglais and organ.
• Music for recorder, harp and harpsichord (1999/00)
• Five scraps of fury (1995–98) – for solo piano.
• String Quintet 1997 (1996–98) – for two violins, viola, cello, and double-bass.

CDs

• 2018 Edition Zeitgenössische Musik
• 2020 Voices of the Pearl, Vol. 3
• 2020 Music for English Horn Alone

Videos

• Trailer for Dreimaldrei Gleich Unendlich
• DW-TV
• Listening to Mountains demo

Books

• Charlotte Martin: …denn Kunst meint ja immer ein Sich-Preisgeben. Drei Portraits. Darmstadt 2006. ISBN: 978-3873902060