Meridian Music: Composers in Performance presents its annual mid-summer concert on Saturday July 10th at 7:30 PM with "Artikulationen" (articulations), solo music for saxophone and clarinets by German musician and composer Frank Gratkowski.

Gratkowski's music has been developed on the basis of improvisation, and it makes use of various resources. Formal processes, tone material and sound generation are used to create structural architecture, so that every piece has its own specific character. One main component of his concept is the experimental exploration of the Instrument. With his solo music, he has also looked for cooperation or meetings with other art forms such as painting, literature, sculpture, dance, film and multimedia projects.

Born in Hamburg in 1963, Frank Gratkowski started playing the saxophone at 16 and, following a period at the Hamburg Conservatory of music, moved in 1985 to study at the Cologne Conservatory of Music with Heiner Wiberny, graduating in 1990. Since 2008 he lives also in Berlin. He pursued further studies with Charlie Mariano, Sal Nistico and Steve Lacy.

Frank Gratkowski has been working as a soloist in various international formations (Grubenklang Orchester, Klaus Koenig Orchester, Musikfabrik NRW, Tony Oxley Celebration Orchestra, BikBentBraam, Zeitkratzer, WDR Big band, etc.). Since 1990 he has been giving solo performances throughout Europe, Canada and the USA. With his first solo program, he was a 1991 prizewinner in the Musik Kreativ contest. The release of the solo CD "Artikulationen" followed the same year and a new one "Arikulationen II" in 2002.

See photos from the concert.