Ulrich Mertin is a german viola player, conductor and experimental composer, acknowledged for his work in diverse musical worlds, such as classical, contemporary, folk, experimental and electronic. Ulrich is Co-Founder and Co-Director of Hezarfen Ensemble.

 

Graduated from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, he received scholarships from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Darmstadt International Summer Courses and the International Ensemble Modern Academy. Ulrich is regularly working with world-renowned contemporary music ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern and Ensemble Musikfabrik. He is giving masterclasses and workshops for musicians and composers across Europe and in Turkey and playing solo recitals and premiers of works dedicated to him across Europe. 2018-19 Ulrich was faculty member of the Conservatoire at Maltepe University in Istanbul/Turkey. He also is giving Masterclasses for Viola, Chamber Music, Composers/Contemporary Music and seminars about Stage Fright at various Universities around Turkey.

 

Ulrich is currently participating in a research project with the University of Bristol about Artificial Intelligence and Musicians.  He also realized a transcultural music project, Beethoven - Eastern Variations, in honor of Ludwig van Beethoven's 250th birthday in 2020 together with Kolkata based, electronic musician Varun Desai.  Together with Turkish and Indian traditional musicians, Ulrich and Varun have created a new, transcultural interpretation of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, 2nd movement.  Beethoven - Eastern Variations is initiated and funded by the Goethe-Institut Istanbul and Kolkata on the occasion of Ludwig van Beethoven's 250th birthday. 

 

Ulrich is member and musical director of Association for Cultural Education, KÜPE e.V. Köln based in Cologne/Germany. During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, online music education seminars are being held with migrant families and their children in order to provide them possibilities for a musical education during the isolation.

 

Together With the Turkish electronic artist Erdem Helvacioglu, Ulrich released the electronic film music album Planet X at Innova Records, USA. Ulrich has also increasingly been active as an actor in music theater and film productions. In addition, he composed the film music for several short films and wrote guest articles and contributions for the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, Deutsche Welle, Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandradio.