Uwe Kremp, born in 1964, studied at the Karlsruhe University of Music, initially guitar with Wilhelm Bruck, then composition and music theory with Mathias Spahlinger and Wolfgang Rihm. He received various scholarships (Darmstadt Summer Courses, the SWR’s Heinrich Strobel Foundation, postgraduate funding from the State of Baden-Württemberg, Herrenhaus Edenkoben) and was, amongst other things, a prize-winner at the City of Stuttgart’s composition competition and the Günter Bialas Competition for New Chamber Music in Munich. He also owes significant artistic inspiration to his encounter with the Hungarian composer and conductor Péter Eötvös.
He teaches music theory and aural training at the conservatoires in Karlsruhe (since 1993) and Trossingen (since 2011) and was also a lecturer at the Institute of Musicology at the University of Karlsruhe from 1995 to 1999. In addition, he works as a freelance composer and guitarist. In 2015, he was awarded the title of Honorary Professor by the Karlsruhe University of Music.
From 1985 to the present day, he has composed over 60 works for a wide variety of ensembles, ranging from tape pieces to orchestral works, with a focus on ensembles featuring individually selected soloists. Since 1987, his music has been performed both in Germany and abroad, broadcast by various radio stations (SDR, SWF, SWR, HR, DLF, amongst others) and featured at various festivals (NYYD Tallinn, AUT Århus, ECLAT Stuttgart, EUROPEAN CULTURE DAYS in Karlsruhe, EXTRAKT in Edenkoben, DAYS FOR NEW MUSIC in Darmstadt, ZEITGENUSS in Karlsruhe, NMIF in Jeber-Bergfrieden).
In addition to chamber music, he also occasionally composes music for specific purposes. For instance, in collaboration with the Ensemble 9. November Frankfurt, he has so far developed four theatre music projects, which have now been performed around 70 times, including a tour to Russia. For a practical edition of Mozart’s concert arias edited by Thomas Seedorf, published in five volumes by Bärenreiter in 2013/14, he wrote numerous performance suggestions for cadenzas, introductions and ornamentation in the reprises.
Since 2022, he has been part of the steering team of the R!SK Festival, alongside Markus Hechtle and Anna-Maria Steiner. The festival takes place every two years at the Karlsruhe University of Music and serves as a forum for all things new and different, developed and organised by the students themselves. As part of R!SK 2024, the world premiere of his ‘Sinfonia concertante’ took place, featuring two soloists alongside sound sculptures by the Karlsruhe-based sculptor Klaus Gündchen and an ensemble of students from the University of Music, conducted by Tobias Drewelius.
In 2026, he will be Composer of the Year for the Frankfurt-based publisher Chili Notes, for whom he is currently composing his latest piece for two saxophones.