About the artist
Curator for “Classics +” at the Haus Styriarte
Thomas Weißschnur lives in Düsseldorf, studied music and economics, and works as a clarinetist, consultant, and lecturer. In addition to the classical repertoire, he is particularly interested in cross-genre formats and in combining music with other disciplines such as dance or visual arts.
His clarinet studies took him from Prof. Jörg Widmann at the University of Music in Freiburg, via the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles—where he studied as a Fulbright scholar—to Prof. François Benda at the Berlin University of the Arts, where he completed the Konzertexamen program with distinction.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed at renowned festivals such as the Niedersächsische Musiktage, the Warsaw Autumn, and the Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander, and with artists such as Paul Meyer, Paul Neubauer, the Guarneri Trio Prague, and the Amaryllis Quartet. A position as principal clarinetist with the Macau Orchestra took him to Asia for over a year, where he also appeared as a member of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble. In Germany, he has held positions as assistant principal clarinetist with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen and as principal clarinetist with the Düsseldorf Symphoniker. He has also appeared regularly with German orchestras including the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra.
Beyond classical concert work, he is enthusiastic about projects that explore the interplay of different art forms and genres. Together with choreographer Martin Chaix, he created a dance-enhanced performance of Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint for solo clarinet and tape for the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and he premiered Listening to the Hymns of Creation for clarinet and choir by Kevin Beavers, a work he initiated. As a longtime member of the independent ensemble Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt, he has also contributed to numerous crossover productions, including concerts at the Elbphilharmonie with Robbie Williams and Gregory Porter, as well as a CD release tour with Nils Landgren.
In addition to his artistic and conceptual work, he is deeply committed to engaging and accessible music education. He teaches as a lecturer at the International Music Academy Anton Rubinstein in Düsseldorf and moderates artist talks and concert introductions in the chamber music series Kempen Klassik, with guests such as Christian Tetzlaff and the ensemble Quatuor Ébène.
In Styriarte 2027, Thomas Weißschnur will serve as Curator for “Classics +” at the Haus Styriarte.
