Bio

Uli Mertin, the Jim Hendrix on the Viola is travalling since years through countries, cultures and music styles. Already passing his music studies, he started experimentating with sounds and his instruments. During that time he developed an amazing cutting-edge play. In his energetic shows he integrates different styles of music he worked with for years - classical, house, folk, experimental and electronic music. ------------------------------------------------------------- Uli Mertin was born in Hoyerswerda (Germany) and studied Violin with Prof. Max Speermann in Würzburg and Viola with Stefan Fehlandt (Vogler-Quartet) at the "Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler" in Berlin. He received scholarships from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Darmstadt International Summer Courses and the International Ensemble Modern Academy. Masterclasses with Tabea Zimmermann and Hariolf Schlichtig plus chamber music courses with Petersen-Quartet, Vogler-Quartet and Mandelring-Quartet completed his studies. Between 2003-2005 he joined the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and worked with conductors like Eliahu Inbal, Simon Rattle, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lothar Zagrosek, Heinrich Schiff, Steven Sloane etc. As Principal Viola player, he was member of the European Union Chamber Orchestra and the Ensemble Resonanz Hamburg. During this time he was concentrating more and more on the contemporary music scene. As a soloist and chamber musician he worked with world-renowned composers like György Kurtag, Helmut Lachenmann, Klaus Huber, George Benjamin, Georg Katzer, Helmut Oehring and Younghi Pagh-Paan and conductors like Peter Rundel, Johannes Kalitzke, Stefan Asbury, Emilio Pomarico. Uli Mertin played solo recitals and premieres of works dedicated to him around Europe. In 2006 Uli Mertin received a composition/interpretation commission of the Senate of Berlin together with the Bulgarian composer Adrian Pavlov and 2007, he won the second prize at the Hanns Eisler Competition for Composition and Interpretation of contemporary Music. Uli Mertin is regularly working with established contemporary music ensembles like the Ensemble Modern, MusikFabrik, Ensemble Courage, Decibel and DissonArt and he is giving contemporary music workshops for musicians and composers in Germany, UK and Turkey. 2008/09 he was performing as main actor in the musictheatre piece „Sing,Sing!“, a production of „New Guide to Opera“, which will be also released as a radioplay for „Deutschlandfunk“/Germany. Since 2008 Uli Mertin spends most of his time in Istanbul, where he found a perfect platform for his main goal: intercultural exchange projects. Together with Michael Ellison he initiated and founded the Hezarfen-Ensemble 2009 in Istanbul, an ensemble including high-renowned musicians from Turkey and abroad. The ensemble wants helping to enlarge and advance the turkish contemporary music scene as well as to tie Turkey closer to the international contemporary scene. This includes interdisziplinary projects like filmmusic, musictheatre, danceprojects, Workshops at universities and exchangeprojects around the world. Together with turkish electronic artist Erdem Helvacioglu he started working on a new album which will be released in 2010. Besides his serious music activities Uli Mertin performs a lot in worldwide renowned clubs. He also started a collaboration with 360Istanbul, a world-famous restaurant and club. Together with the extraordinary DJfilth from Manchester he creates and produces there shows and musics between Classic-House, baroque ambiance and show business.