About

b.1968, Germany

Michael Oesterle was born in Ulm, Germany. He immigrated to Canada in 1982, and has lived in Montreal since 1996. He studied music at the University of British Columbia and Princeton University.

Oesterle’s works have been performed and commissioned by ensembles and soloists including Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt), the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM), the Ives Ensemble (Amsterdam), the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain Paris, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, les Percussions de Strasbourg, and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra.

He has produced projects in collaboration with painters, video/installation artists, dancers and choreographers, as well as composed soundtrack for films. In 1997 he founded the Montréal-based Ensemble KORE with pianist Marc Couroux, and between 2001 and 2004 he was composer-in-residence with l'Orchestre Metropolitain du Grand Montréal.

He currently lives in Deux Montagnes, Québec.

Artist Compositions

 

Premiere Title of Commission Listen
03/05/2021 Carrousel Listen Close

Carrousel is a quartet for keyboards: Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Marimba, and Piano.

04/27/2010 Look on Glass Listen Close

Though the marimba and the Japanese koto come from divergent musical cultures, their timbres complement each other: both have a particular contemplative quality. Oesterle exploits the sonic texture of this unusual combination of instruments extensively throughout this piece, drifting from extremes of density and volume within a restrained melodic contour.