Michael Gees

Born on October 9, 1953, in Bielefeld within North Rhine-Westphalia, German pianist Michael Gees received early acclaim as the Westphalian Mozart, reflecting his authentic status as a child prodigy who temporarily stepped away from that designation. Achievements carried forward into his middle years, encompassing the often less visible duties of accompanist alongside those of solo recitalist and concerto performer, while he also generated and presented an uncommon volume of original compositions. With both parents active as singers, he revealed a pronounced affinity for the piano already by age three. Instruction began at five, followed by victory in a Hamburg competition backed by Steinway at eight and entry, via scholarship, into studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He pursued further training at conservatories in Vienna and Detmold, Germany, amassing a considerable record of public performances by age fifteen. Seeking broader engagement with composition, he withdrew from formal study at that juncture and spent several years in miscellaneous roles, among them archaeological assistant and, for two years, sailor. He later resumed studies, largely by happenstance, at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, directing his attention initially toward composition and jazz rather than piano execution. Rebuilding his technical command independently, he resumed concert activity with solo appearances in New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo. A sustained collaboration as lied accompanist developed with tenor Christoph Prégardien. Gees has originated distinctive cross-genre undertakings both in his own programs and through the “forum kunstvereint,” which he established in his adopted city of Gelsenkirchen, as well as the Consol Theater, an organization that has fostered the development of young artists in music, dance, and theater. His recording career began in 1996 with releases on Haenssler, Carus, and later Challenge Classics, frequently presenting lieder and other works through unconventional improvisational approaches. In 2017 he issued Bach, Mendelssohn: Metamorphosis, describing its purpose as follows: “How can a musical idea develop over and above what has been written down? What would Bach have thought about Mendelssohn? What would have happened had they been able to encourage each other to extemporise on their compositions?”