DIEGO KOHN (Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland)
8-10 November @10.00-15.00 in C-405
Diego Kohn is a versatile musician, teacher, and cultural promoter. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he focused in improvisational practices exploring the nuances of collaborative music creation. Specializing in improvisation and collective musical practices, he teaches at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the Zurich Conservatory (MKZ).
Diego holds a degree in composition from the Universidad Nacional de las Artes (UNA) in Argentina, as well as a Master’s degree in music performance with a specialization in improvisation from the Musikhochschule Basel and a Master’s degree in analysis and teaching of music theory from the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). He has studied composition and analysis under the tutelage of esteemed musicians including Isabel Mundry, Matthias Steinauer, Michel Roth, Marta Lambertini, and Fernando Maglia, and has participated in courses and seminars with internationally renowned improvising musicians such as Fred Frith, Malcolm Goldstein, Vinko Globokar, Catherine Milliken, and George Lewis, among others.
As an active musician, Diego has performed on stages in countries around the world, including Argentina, Canada, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Israel, China, and Hong Kong. He has also collaborated with artists from other disciplines, including dance, literature, and visual arts, on various interdisciplinary projects. Diego is a member of several musical ensembles, including the Europa Meta Orchestra in Montpellier, France, the Slide Ensemble in Zurich, and the Insub Meta Orchestra in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also the artistic director of the Creaziun project, which brings together improvisers and composers, and the organizer of the Offene Bühne Zürich.
As a mediator and teacher, Diego has offered courses and workshops on collective music creation and improvisation at numerous institutions and universities around the world. These include the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre «Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy» in Germany, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLu) in Switzerland, the Musikschule Konservatorium Zürich MKZ, the National University of Arts (UNA) in Argentina, the National University of Quilmes in Argentina, the Conservatory of Music «Astor Piazzola» in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany, WIM (Werkstatt für Improvisierte Musik) Zurich Switzerland, Studio Twenty Alpha in Hong Kong, among others.
Currently residing in Zurich, Switzerland, Diego continues to teach improvisation at the University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the improvisation workshop at the Zurich Conservatory (MKZ), while working as a freelance musician on national and international projects.