The unique line-up and distinctive playing style of these four musicians as equals is truly awe-inspiring, opening up unimagined possibilities for musical expression. All quartet members contribute to the compositions, by working together on new pieces in rehearsals with attention to detail. This has led to an incredibly diverse repertoire, filled with original, lively, artistic and skillfull compositions with new pieces being created all the time.
Improvisation is at the heart of the SOUNDRISE QUARTET, with the four musical visionaries exploring spaces that effortlessly blend jazz, world music, classical modernism and more. These unique sounds are not just music, they're a journey that can only be experienced. Together, they create something truly unique, a symphony that sounds more than the sum of its parts. They harmonise classical sound variability with a jazzy groove, celebrating moments of freedom that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
The audience is invited to join the SOUNDRISE QUARTET on a musical journey through their captivating worlds, where they will experience unforgettable musical moments that will stay with them long after the final note.
Stephanie
Lepp is following an extraordinary path with her expressive
playing on the flute, the alto flute and the bansuri. She grew
up in a musical home, as the daughter of composer Gunter Lepp.
Music has always played a major role in her life. She won the
national prize at the Jugend Musiziert competition and her
subsequent classical flute studies at the Cologne University of
Music and Dance with Prof. Robert Winn laid the technical
foundations for her virtuosity. She was also a long-term
scholarship holder of 'Yehudi Menuhin - Live Music Now
Cologne'. This led her to Mario Caroli in Strasbourg, where she
continued her studies.
Stephanie continues to develop her skills in improvisation and
composition to find a deeper musical expression of her own
creativity. Years of intensive study of the North Indian bamboo
flute bansuri with Dinesh Mishra from 2010 to 2022, as well as
active participation in a highly inspiring master class with
bansuri legend Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia in Bremen in 2017,
now enable her to build bridges between East and West with her
flute playing. Numerous master classes with professionals such
as Markus Stockhausen, Jorge Pardo, Randy Brecker, Trilok
Gurtu, Hanif Khan and Karl Berger have given her groundbreaking
artistic impulses. Stephanie was nominated for the prestigious
Gaudeamus Music Prize in Amsterdam with one of her
compositions, including a solo performance. She founded the
'Duo Flying Tree' with cellist Levan Andria in 2019.
Stephanie has performed in numerous concerts at home and
abroad, touring across Europe. She is also a member of the LEPP
LIVE project together with her sister Agnes Lepp. As well as
performing at concerts, Stephanie shares her extensive
experience by teaching the flute and giving lectures on
improvisation. She is a soloist and composer in creative
ensembles. Her playing style is unparalleled and audiences are
always captivated.
Levan Andria
is charting his own innovative course, with his creative cello
playing serving as a testament to his talent as an explorer and
adventurer. He grew up in a classical music family and started
playing the cello at the age of seven. He later became solo
cellist in the Baden-Württemberg State Youth Orchestra and won
first prize several times in the 'Jugend musiziert'
competition.
From the age of 15 Levan studied, first as a pre-student and
then as a student, at the Stuttgart University of Music and
Performing Arts with Professor Conradin Brotbek, who became his
most influential cello teacher and fully ignited his already
blazing enthusiasm for music. From then on, this inner fire
became his beacon, leading him to reach out beyond classical
music to improvisation, which was his true passion. He immersed
himself in various world music styles with Georgian guitarist
Zaza Miminoshvili and attended inspiring master classes with
Karl Berger and Randy Brecker, among others. Levan took lessons
in improvisation and Indian classical music from the Indian
flautist Dinesh Mishra for five years. Another defining
influence is his musical collaboration with trumpeter Markus
Stockhausen, with whose Markus Stockhausen Group he has played
as a guest on numerous occasions.
As a freelance creative cellist, composer and cello teacher
Levan performs in his own projects, such as the 'Duo Flying
Tree', SOUNDRISE QUARTET etc., as well as a soloist here and
abroad. He has already taken his performances throughout
Europe, Georgia and China. Levan Andria's cello is rooted in
classical music, but today it moves fluidly between styles such
as jazz and oriental music, constantly developing its own
expression.
Kurt
Fuhrmann effortlessly navigates musical landscapes as a sonic
alchemist. He combines elements of improvised music, classical
music, world music and pop and impresses with his cross-genre
versatility. Even as a child, he sang and drummed along
enthusiastically, inspired by his father's record collection.
In addition to private piano and drum lessons, the music
section at Goethe-Gymnasium laid the foundation for his
wide-ranging musical interests: He was a member of the school
choir, played the timpani in the orchestra and was a drummer in
the renowned big band.
Kurt studied
jazz drums at the Cologne University of Music and Dance, where
he was taught by renowned teachers such as Keith Copeland,
Dieter Manderscheid and Paulo Álvares. His goal was always to
expand his sonic world. His passion for unconventional sounds
and percussion instruments propelled him into the realm of
flamenco and Balkan music. A DAAD scholarship granted Kurt the
opportunity to delve into South Indian art music in Chennai,
infusing his sound with intricate rhythms and exotic
timbres.
Kurt is a freelance musician and composer who works in a range
of fields. He works across genres and collaborates with media
artists (such as Tessa Knapp), improvisation artists (such as
Achim Tang) and classical musicians such as the 'Duo Joncol' or
the mezzo-soprano Dalia Schaechter. His drumming, keyboard
playing and composing have all made a lasting impression in
theatre productions, such as the Theater im Bauturm, and in
bands like 'Alpentines' and 'The Kasper Collusion'. His solo
album, completed in his own small recording studio, shows him
as a singer, composer, keyboarder and drummer, opening up new
sound spaces full of depth and experimentation. He is
wholeheartedly dedicated to barrier-free music projects and
making music an integral part of education and
society.
Marko Mrdja creates new and intense worlds of sound with his sensitive piano artistry. He brings the sound to life with every key stroke. He began his musical journey at the age of 7 with Serbian professor Zoran Petrovic, where he mastered the roots of Serbian folk music. At the age of nine, he composed his first piano works, inspired by Mozart. He then immersed himself in the classical repertoire, focusing especially on the works of Chopin and Debussy, under the guidance of Felix Romankiewicz. In 2016, he was awarded the national prize 'Jugend Komponiert' and his composition 'Bebelstraße 79' was premiered at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. His studies with Prof. Marco Stroppa at the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts deepened his understanding of composition and electronic music, while he expanded his improvisation skills through the academy of the renowned Georgian guitarist Zaza Miminoshvilli and deepened his knowledge with lecturers such as Markus Stockhausen, Randy Brecker and Dinesh Mishra. Mishra taught him improvisation and composition.
Alongside his classical training, Marko discovered electronic music production and founded the Predawn Records label with Laima Adelaide and Nils Edte. He releases electronic productions and performs live sets as TAMA, most recently as a prizewinner at the Expedition: POP & SOUNDS festival. Marko is the pianist of the SOUNDRISE QUARTET. He combines south-east European melodies with contemporary sounds. His compositions are unmistakably defined by his origins, whose rhythmic-melodic style masterfully shapes his extraordinary sound language.