Photographer: Christian Prasser ©
Gál Bernhard
- Compositions
- General Information
- Education
- Activities
- Performances (Selection)
- Commissions (Selection)
- Awards
- Description of Style
- Press Reviews
- Discography, Projects
- Performer of (Composition)
- Contact Person of (Organisation)
- Contact, Links
Compositions
General Information
Composer, sound artist and musicologist. Born in Vienna in 1971. Since 1985 intensive studies of music and (sound-)art. Studies at the Vienna University of Music (sound engineer training) and the University of Vienna (musicology). Since 1997, concentration on his work as composer and sound artist. Concerts, exhibitions, sound installations and art projects in Europe, Japan and the USA. (including Studio Five Beekman/New York, Konzerthaus/Vienna, Werkstadt Graz/Graz, Sigpro Gallery/Tokyo, Institute Mathildenhöhe/Darmstadt, Deutschlandfunk/Cologne, Museum Essl/Klosterneuburg). Attending festivals and conferences (including ESCOM Uppsala, Hörgänge Vienna, ICMC Berlin, Kryptonale Berlin, Phonomanie Ulrichsberg, Vienna Modern). Cooperations in regard to the combination of music with other artistic expressions such as architecture, painting, performance and object art, including cooperations with Yumi Kori, G.S. Sedlak, John Roach, Mandy Morrison, Christian Aichinger and Emre Tuncer. Compositions for video-, dance-, theater- and radio-art-projects. Lives and works as a freelance artist in Berlin and Vienna.
Education
| Period | Education | Instrument | Teacher | Education Organisation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1986
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since then, private studies (self-taught) in installation art, sound art, composition, media art | ||||
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1990 - 1993
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courses for sound-engineering | ||||
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1992 - 1997
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musicology (in combination with theater science, philosophy, psychology) | ||||
|
2009
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since then interdisciplinary Phd-studies |
Activities
| Period | Activity | Organisation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1998
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since then, been working as a freelance artist, composer, musician and musicologist | ||
|
1999
|
foundation of the label | ||
|
2002
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since then, international concert activity as laptop musician (about 200 concerts on five continents) | ||
|
2003
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"Trändi Händi, yo!" music-theatre-project for children in cooperation with Xenia Hu | ||
|
2004
|
Klangtheater ORF: "Klangschatten" music-theatre-project for children | ||
|
2005
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founder and artistic director of the arts-initiative | ||
|
2006
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Kunsthaus Graz, Landesmusikschule Ried: "Klangwuerste, Klangei" - intermedia music project and workshop for children in cooperation with Michael Schultes | ||
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2006
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Shut up and listen: foundation and artistic director of the Festival of Music and Sound Art | ||
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2006 - 2007
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Studio for Electroacoustical Music and Sound Art: lecturer (sound installation) | ||
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2010
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since then, research associate of the interdisciplinary doctoral program "Art and the Public" | ||
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realization of numerous sound installations and multimedia projects for museums and festivals such as Kryptonale Berlin, Hörgänge Vienna, Musikinstrumentenmuseum Berlin, MATA Festival New York, Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna and many others | |||
|
lectures at universities (Institute of History of Architecture - Technical University of Vienna, University of Music in Vienna, Chung Yuan Christian University Taiwan, School of the Art Institute of Chicago and others) | |||
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numerous appearances and performances, solo and collaborations (with Tung Chao-Ming 2002, with Kai Fagaschinski 2004 and 2006) | |||
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occupation with installation art, sound art, media art and contemporary music | |||
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numerous guest lectures and workshops in Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, United States | |||
|
research interests: sound art; phonography / Soundscape composition; music & intermedia, music and architecture, music and language |
Performances (Selection)
| Period | Performance | Composition | Organisation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2000
|
Festival Hoergaenge | |||
|
2000
|
ICMC | |||
|
2001
| ||||
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2002
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Fast Forward | |||
|
2002
| ||||
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2003
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MATA Festival | |||
|
2003
| ||||
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2004
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Sound Field Festival | |||
|
2004
| ||||
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2004
|
Festival Inventionen | |||
|
2004
| ||||
|
2004
| ||||
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2004
|
ORF Klangtheater | |||
|
2005
| ||||
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2006
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San Francisco Tape Music Festival , ODC Theater | |||
|
2006
| ||||
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2006
|
Nuova Consonanza | |||
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2006
|
Sound Travels | |||
|
2006
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Festival Sonambiente | |||
|
2006
| ||||
|
2007
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Musicacoustica | |||
|
2007
| ||||
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2008
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Festival Sonic Circuits, Washington D.C. | |||
|
2008
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FILE | Hypersonica | |||
|
2010
| ||||
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2011
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Festival Sláturtíð | |||
|
2012
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International Computer Music Conference | |||
|
2013
| ||||
|
2015
|
Festival Punto de Encuentros |
Commissions (Selection)
| Period | Commission | Composition | Commissioner (Organisation) | Commissioner (Person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2000
| ||||
|
2000
|
Festival Kryptonale | |||
|
2000
|
China Found Music Workshop | |||
|
2000
| ||||
|
2001
|
Museum Essl | |||
|
2002
| ||||
|
2002
|
AsianCultureLink | |||
|
2002
|
ÖKS | |||
|
2003
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Werkstadt der Kulturen Berlin | |||
|
2003
|
singuhr - hoergalerie in parochial | |||
|
2004
|
Ensemble Noamnesia | |||
|
2004
| ||||
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2004
| ||||
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2004
|
Festival Inventionen | |||
|
2005
| ||||
|
2006
|
Museum of Music Instruments | |||
|
2007
| ||||
|
2009
|
Goethe Institute, Porto Alegre |
Awards
| Period | Award | Composition | Awarding Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1999
|
research scholarship | ||
|
2000
|
grant from the Arts Department | ||
|
2000
|
composition award | ||
|
2001
|
Karl Hofer Gesellschaft: Karl Hofer Award | ||
|
2002
|
annual scholarship of the SKE-fonds | ||
|
2003
|
annual scholarship | ||
|
2004
|
state scholarship for composition | ||
|
2005
|
travel grant 2006/07 | ||
|
2010
|
Oustanding Artist, Award for music
| ||
|
2013
|
Official representative of Austria at the World New Music Days | ||
|
2016
|
state scholarship for composition |
Description of Style
Bernhard Gál is represented alike by its interdisciplinary approach in the field of contemporary music, installation art and media art. In so far about 50 intermedia installations and media art projects he combined sound, light, objects, concepts of space and video projections into perceptual and often site-specific pieces of art. He also composes music for acoustic instruments and electroacoustic music and he gives concerts as laptop musician. His works have been world-wide presented in concerts, exhibitions, installations and radio-portraits, including the Festival Vienna Modern, MaerzMusik Berlin, Sonambiente Berlin, Donaueschingen Music Days, Nuova Consonanza Rome, MATA Festival in New York, Soundfield Chicago, Mutek Montreal, Musicacoustica Beijing and FILE São Paulo. Artistic collaborations are another aspect of his work, among others cooperations since 1998 with the Japanese designer Yumi Kori ("audio-architectural installations"). As a practicing (laptop) musician Gál has performed on five continents and has developed joint projects together with musicians such as Chao-Ming Tung, Kai Fagaschinski and Jennifer Walshe.
(Gromoga Productions)
Press Reviews
2004
Gals Vertonung ist gelungen. Das Lauter-Leiser; das Wechselspiel von Natur, Mensch; die kindliche Stimme, die Laute voller Unverständnis ausspricht, Worte die im Kopf dann doch irgendwie Sinn ergeben, Gestalt annehmen ... Liegt es daran, dass ich eine Frau bin? Dass allein die Biographie Wölflis Ängste in mir freisetzt, die sich beim Hören dieser CD manifestieren? Ich weiß nur, dass ich nach dem Anhören dieser CD unter dem Bett nachgesehen habe und das Fenster hab ich auch zugemacht.
(CD "Hinaus:: In den, Wald", Klanggalerie, Österreich 2004)
SKUG (Sanna Samsara)
2001
[...] a subtle and intriguing release. Highly recommended.
(CD "relisten", Intransitive, USA 2001)
Weekly Dig (Susanna Bolle)
2000
[...] both beautiful and disquieting, this work manages to say a lot with very little. Recommended as one of the most significant releases on the German label Plate Lunch.
(CD "Defragmentation/blue", Plate Lunch Deutschland, 2000)
All-Music Guide (François Couture)
2000
[...] Temporally and spatially disorientating, truly inhabiting and uprooting whatever space it's played in.
(CD "Defragmentation/blue", Plate Lunch, Deutschland 2000)
The Wire (David Keenan)
1999
[...] die sehr virtuos gestalteten Sprach-Loops, die in sich verschobenen Phonem-Kanons prägen Stimmungs-Pattern, die spannend, ja aufregend sind, die Klangmischungen stimmen immer [...]
(CD "bestimmung new york", Durian, Österreich 1999)
Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (Stefan Fricke)
1999
[...] disorienting in sound, orienting in thought, gorgeous and dense [...]
(CD "bestimmung new york", Durian, Österreich 1999)
Other Music (Robin Edgerton)
Discography, Projects
Main publications:
- 2015: Zwischenbrücken (CD Gromoga/Austria)
- 2010: same difference (CD, Gromoga Records/Austria)
- 2008: relive (CD, Gromoga Records/Austria)
- 2007: Installations (DVD, Gromoga Records/Austria)
- 2005: Installations (CD, Gromoga Records/Austria)
- 2005: going round in serpentines (CD, Charhizma/Austria)
- 2005: Installations (Katalogbuch & CD, Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg/Germany)
- 2004: Hinaus: In den, Wald. (CD, Klanggalerie/Austria)
- 2001: relisten (CD, Intransitive Recordings/USA)
- 2000: Defragmentation/blue (CD, Plate Lunch/Germany)
- 1999: bestimmung new york (CD, Durian/Austria)
CDRs, DVDs, catalogues, compilations, publications in the internet:
- 2015: flut (CD '17/2 - Beclic-Gal)
- 2014: The Sea of Trees Mandorla (Autumn Net-Project. Mandorla Records/Mexico)
- 2013: schwarzenberg (CD "Black and White Statements" - Seda Roeder, Gramola/Österreich)
- 2012: Void (Somewhere on the edge-Projekt, Gruenrekorder/Deutschland)
- 2010: RGBuSW (Katalogbuch/DVD "singuhr 1996 - 2006", Kehrer Verlag/Germany)
- 2010: Die Spitze des Eisbergs (CD "Sudamerica Electronica 3", Sudamerica Electronica/Argentina)
- 2009: solo (DVD "stadtklaenge | klangstaetten", Allgemeiner Konsumverein Braunschweig/Germany)
- 2007: 57A (Buch/CD "Sound Art: Beyond Music, Between Media." Rizzoli/USA)
- 2006: hechre (CD "henri chopin remixed"-project, Schule fuer Dichtung / Extraplatte/Austria)
- 2006: gocce dell'uomo del campo (CD "triMIX", Innova Recordings/USA)
- 2006: Jon's a.m. revisited (Limited CDR-Edition. Gallery Lukas Feichtner, Wien/Austria)
- 2006: Earshot (Zusammenarbeit mit B. Loibner u. T. Sherman. CD "_gestalt", allquiet/Austria)
- 2005:This is for real (CD "90 Sekunden Wirklichkeit", DEGEM/Cybele/Germany)
- 2004: Night Pulses (Katalog & CDR, O.K Center for Contemporary Art/Austria)
- 2004: Hinaus:: In den, Wald. (surround remix) (DVD "Text & Language". Aspect, Magazine of New Media Art/USA)
- 2004: Three Whites (CD "Rock’s Role (After Ryoanji)", Art in General/USA)
- 2004: In fusion (CD "Intransitive Twenty-Three", Intransitive Recordings/USA)
- 2003: c.s.a.g. (CD "Danza De La Muerte", Klanggalerie/Austria)
- 2002: enelten (CD "Typewriting Aloud. Typos Allowed"/Slovakia)
- 2002: zhu shui (CD "lowercase sound 2002", Bremsstrahlung/USA)
- 2001: Tong-hua yie-shi (CD "because tomorrow comes #4"/Germany)
- 2001: bestimmung darmstadt (CDr, Gromoga Records/Austria)
- 2000: sprachklanggesetzt (CD "klanggesetz", Initiative Minderheiten/Austria)
- 2000: Dissociated Voices (Katalog & CDR, Werkstadt Graz/Austria)
- 2000: Art’s Birthday 2000 (CD "Beams and Waves", Sound Off Festival/Slovakia)
Performer of (Composition)
Contact Person of (Organisation)
