Christopher Grafschmidt

Christopher Grafschmidt, born on the 9th of May 1964 in Offenburg, started his musical career like probably many others with the recorder.
At the age of 12 he received first lessons on the guitar at the Mandolinen- und Gitarrenverein Offenburg. Admittedly playing has been (and still is) more important to him than pure practising. Earliest compositions or rather fixed improvisations date from 1980. His wide range of musical preferences expanded even more due to studying musicology at Heidelberg. Nevertheless he remained a self-taught composer. Grafschmidt’s analysis of Boris Blachers œuvre (concerning variable meters) had a certain effect on his compositions in the early 90s such as “Sketches of Brain”, “Borigor’s Pickup” or the “Kleines Konzert” for mandolin and plucked orchestra. In course of time non-plucked instruments were included in works such as “Herbst” for oboe, clarinet, mandolin, guitar, violoncello and harpsichord, the music for an event at the Askalun-Theater in Pforzheim dedicated to Paul Celan with flute, clarinet, saxophon and violoncello as well as “Les Metamorphoses du vampire” for alto, bass, piano and plucked orchestra. Stylistic influences may be detected, just in case of interest, in classical as well as popular music. Most of his compositions are written for befriended musicians and orchestras. Besides his musical activities (Ensemble 77, Badisches Zupforchester, Die Querdenker e.g.) Christopher Grafschmidt teaches theory and history of music at courses organized by the Bund Deutscher Zupfmusiker.