Mike Svoboda

Michael Svoboda (born 1960) is an American composer and trombonist who lives and works in Switzerland.

Born in Guam, Svoboda grew up in Chicago and studied composition and conducting at the University of Illinois.

In 1981, he came to Germany on the basis of a composition prize.

There, he studied trombone at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart.

From 1984 to 1995, he worked as a performer with Karlheinz Stockhausen.

From 1995, Svoboda turned back to composition.

He put together the programme Mike Svoboda's Alphorn Special from individual pieces.

He received commissions for full-length programmes among others from the Staatstheater Hannover, the Nationaltheater Mannheim, the Südwestrundfunk and the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen.

He participated in the programmes 14 Attempts to Learn to Love Wagner and My God Mozart! (both 2002) as well as Clara, Robert and Johannes - Fantasy about a Romantic Triangle (2004) as composer, arranger, trombonist and speaker.

In 2003 he composed Love Hurts - Carmen Remix for orchestra with one soloist and Reflective Structures for 21 strings and solo percussion, in 2005 Alias - Mozart is Rossini for string orchestra and solo trombone.

In the 2005–06 season, his children's opera Erwin, das Naturtalent, based on a libretto by Manfred Weiss, was performed at the Stuttgart State Opera.

Svoboda performs with his own mike svoboda ensemble (founded 2005).

In addition, he works or He has also worked with various jazz formations (such as the Reduction Quartet of Manfred Kniel) and with orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the orchestras of the Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Westdeutscher Rundfunk and the Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk, the Bamberg Symphonys, the Ensemble Modern, the Schönberg Ensemble and the Klangforum Wien as well as in duo formations with the accordionist Stefan Hussong and the percussionist Michael Kiedaisch.

On numerous CDs he recorded works by contemporary composers (besides Stockhausen, Zappa, Eötvös and Rihm, also compositions by Michael Riessler, Bernd Thewes, Christoph Staude, Iannis Xenakis) and his own compositions, as well as recordings with various jazz ensembles and duo partners.

Svoboda was already artist in residence at the 61st Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker in 2006.

Here his pieces Raumgewinn - Musik für eine Elbaue and 70%, a "jazz nocturne on the theme of water" were premiered.

Svoboda lives in Switzerland were he has been teaching as Professor for contemporary chamber music and trombone at the Musikhochschule Basel since 2007.

In guest appearances at the Royal Opera House, La Scala and other opera houses, he impersonated Lucifer in Stockhausen's opera cycle Licht.

He has also worked as a trombonist with composers such as Péter Eötvös, Heinz Holliger, Toshio Hosokawa, Helmut Lachenmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Martin Smolka and Frank Zappa and has premiered more than four hundred works to date.

In 2007, he created Der unglaubliche Spotz, also to a libretto by Manfred Weiss.

He was also artist and/or composer in residence at the festival Mouvement - Music in the 21st Century of the Saarländischer Rundfunk (2007), at the Weingartner Musiktage Junger Künstler (2008) and at the Opernhaus Chemnitz (October 2009).

At the opening of the 2010 Niedersächsische Musiktage, Svoboda's Music for Open Spaces for soprano, 8 trombones and approx. 150 wind instruments was performed with great success.

In 2011, the world premiere of his trombone concerto Music for Trombone and Orchestra took place at the "ECLAT - Festival Neue Musik Stuttgart" with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and Svoboda as soloists.