the musical journey of manuel leuenberger
Manuel Leuenberger is artistically active as a "Marimba Artist" both as a soloist and in various formations. This includes collaborations with clarinet in the duo "Acoustic Voyagers," with marimba in the formation "Octostix," as well as in the interdisciplinary duo "Wooden Impact" with multiple world champion in tap dance Daniel Borak. His own transcription of J.S. Bach's D minor Concerto, BWV 1052, can be heard on the CD "Bach in Brazil" in an arrangement for marimba and organ, another duo of his.
In 2020, Manuel Leuenberger performed as a soloist with the NZO | Neues Zürcher Orchester, under the direction of Martin Studer, at the Berlin Philharmonie. In 2022, a collaboration with the Stadtmusik Zürich and Niki Wüthrich led him to the main hall of the newly renovated Tonhalle Zürich, where he performed Satoshi Yagisawa's Marimba Solo Concerto. In the summer of 2022, the premiere of "Rhapsody in Blue" took place in a newly arranged version for solo marimba and symphonic wind orchestra by Mathias Rüegg. Since the beginning of 2024, Manuel Leuenberger has been completely active as a freelance artist and can be found on many concert stages at home and abroad. This year, Manuel Leuenberger will premiere Emmanuel Séjourné's newly composed Marimba Solo Concerto at the Goetheanum in Dornach on the occasion of the sixtieth birthday of the Orchester Dornachs. In addition, the artist's first solo CD and many new music videos will be released on the online platform "Patreon," where the musician can be subscribed to and supported. Manuel Leuenberger is a "Marimba One Discovery Artist," recipient of the Chapeau! cultural award from the city of Wetzikon, and supported by over thirty subscribers on patreon.com.
I am honored to be supported by others and happy to be able to give back to the community.
Happy to be a Part of the Family
Marimba One Discovery Artist
Ich bin Mitglied
des Fördervereins für die Marimba
MUSIC
Audio
own compositions
recordings of works by other composers
Videos
Daniel Borak (Tap) and Manuel Leuenberger (Marimba) Live Recording at the Theater am Gleis, Winterthur, October 2016
Live recording of the first collaboration with Daniel Borak, the multiple world champion in Tap Dance. Theater am Gleis, Winterthur, Oktober 2016.
Marcus Paus was born in 1979. He is a Norwegian composer and guitar player. He studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo and at the Manhattan School of Music. He describes himself as a retro style composer. His motet "O magnum mysterium" (2007) is dedicated to the international well known marimbaphone player Katarzyna Mycka. The text originates from the matins for Christmas and tells from the mystery of the newborn in the manger. Since many centuries it inspired a lot of composers to impressive works.
Marcus Paus ist 1979 geboren. Er ist ein norwegischer Komponist und Gitarrist und studierte an der Musikhochschule in Oslo und an der Manhattan School of Music. Er bezeichnet sich selbst als "Retrogardist". Die Motette "O magnum mysterium" (2007) ist der international bekannten Marimbaphonistin Katarzyna Mycka gewidmet. Der Text entstammt als Responsorium der Matutin zu Weihnachten, erzählt vom grossen Geheimnis des Neugeborenen in der Krippe und inspirierte seit vielen Jahrhunderten viele Komponisten zu ausdrucksstarken Werken.
Live concert at the Church of St. Georg - Küsnacht Zürich, CH
15th January 2012
Composer, Marcus Paus
Zürcher Hochschule der Künste VocalEnsemble - http://www.zhdk.ch/?vocalensemble
Conductor, Markus Utz - http://www.cantissimo.de/dirigent
Marimba, Manuel Leuenberger
Soprano Solo, Martina Küng and Pauline Persoud
A Joël Cormier production
„O Magnum Mysterium“ for Marimba and choir by norwegian composer Marcus Paus - Swiss premiere by Manuel Leuenberger and the vocal ensemble of ZHdK (Zurich High School of the Arts). Conductor: Markus Utz.
Marimba +
Collaborations with other artists
To make music together always includes personal and artistic development. The duos I am part of help me become a better musician and artist with each and every concert we share. I am proud to present the following collaborations:
Marimba + Sax
I have played several concerts with Florian Haupt, the highly musical and innovative saxophonist who can handle any size of saxophone with style. We not only perform a stunning program, but also guide you through the concert with a charming announcement of every work we play.
Marimba + Pipe Organ
With Yoshiko Masaki, organist in the Reformed Church Uetikon am See, I experience new timbres at every concert. Due to the rarity of such unconventional duos, we have not yet played a single original composition for our instruments. In our previous programs and on the CD “Bach in Brazil” that we recorded together, we have arranged works for our instruments. The sound result is indeed a wonderful treat for the ears. The CD can be purchased from us or via iTunes.