Vanessa Porter is one of the most versatile percussionists internationally and is in demand for a wide variety of projects, concert formats and programmes. As a soloist, she combines contemporary works with improvisation, electronics and performing arts and impresses with her focused creation of a wide variety of sound spaces.
In addition to her direct engagement with the instruments, an important part of her work is to develop new programmes as a soloist and in collaboration with various artists. She attaches great importance to a holistic concert experience and always tries to place her work in a social context.
She works with renowned composers such as Georges Aperghis (première Kölner Philharmonie 2020), Jennifer Walshe (première Funkhaus Köln 2021), Elnaz Seyedi (première Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik 2022), Adriana Hölszky (première ZKM Karlsruhe 2016), Marta Gentilucci (ECLAT Festival 2021), Simon Steen-Andersen (Festival Musica Strasbourg 2022), Benjamin Scheuer (UA AdW Mainz 2021), Alva Noto (UA LAB Frankfurt 2020), Francesca Verunelli (UA Donaueschinger Musiktage 2024), Zeynep Gedizlioglu, Samir Odeh-Tamimi, and many more.
In addition to guest appearances with international ensembles such as the Ensemble Modern and Ascolta Ensemble, she has been a permanent member of Les Percussions de Strasbourg since 2021. As a solo and chamber musician, she performs at the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik, the ECLAT Festival Stuttgart, the Donaueschinger Musiktage, the Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the WDR Sinfonieorchester and presents her solo programmes at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Kölner Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Concergebouw Amsterdam, Barbican Centre London, Megaron Athens and many more.
Vanessa Porter is 1st prize winner of the August Everding Music Competition Munich, the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg, the Music Creative Award Lindau and the PercussiveArt Contest Italy, received the Deutschlandstipendium and was a scholarship holder of the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg and the German Music Competition.
After studying at the Royal Collage of Music in London (with David Hockings) and the Musikhochschule in Lübeck (with Johannes Fischer), Vanessa Porter completed her master's degree at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart (with Marta Klimasara, Klaus Dreher and Jürgen Spitschka).
She has been Professor of Percussion at the Karlsruhe University of Music since 2024.