BIO

Sem is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and software developer whose artistic practice explores the boundaries of aesthetics, sound, and perception. Deeply rooted in DIY culture and the traditions of Western contemporary as well as improvised music of the 20th century, their output spans solo performances, chamber and orchestral compositions, raw noise music, and multichannel media works, all underpinned by an interest in algorithmic processes, interactive and expressive systems.

Sem’s current artistic research focuses on

machine listening

can machines hear? lore ipsum and so on and so on, there will be more here soon!

non-human creativity

holysemiotics and human-non-human co-creativity – more soon

autonomous musical agents

what is an autonomous agent – same here, not much going on so far!

metamodern aesthetics

how to write music in the 21st century, say whaaaat? there will be more here as well! Promised!

As a composer, Sem has received commissions from a range of ensembles and institutions. Recent works include kill_chain (2024, Sonja Lena Schmid) for cello, live electronics, and live video, and Nenia (2022, NOW! Festival Essen) for quartet.

Sem is also an active performer, both as a bass clarinetist/ saxophonist and live electronics artist. Since 2014, they have been a member of Orchester im Treppenhaus, contributing to numerous productions that question traditional concert formats. As part of CRISPR.kollektiv (since 2018), Sem engages in collaborative improvisation, composition, and curatorial work.

For many years they are cooperating as a performer, composer, sound technician and sound director with several

Festivals

Faithful Festival, Musik 21 Festival, Grafenegg Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, Istanbul Music Festival, Við Djúpið Festival Iceland, Nano3 Festival, Moselmusikfestival, Gezeiten Konzerte, Podium Festival, Detect Classic Festival, Fusion Festival, Mannheimer Sommer, Heidelberger Frühling, Fredener Musiktage, Sea Sounds Festival

Concert Series and Venues

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, NDR – Das neue Werk, SWR – jetztmusik, BR – U21, Berghain Berlin, Staatsoper Hannover, Philharmonie Essen, Sprengelmuseum Hannover, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Rudolf-Oetker-Halle, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Bergson München, Posthof Linz, KNUST Hamburg

Ensembles

Gruppe Moment, Arcana Festival Ensemble, Das Neue Ensemble, KLANK, Ensemble S201, Ensemble New Babylon, Ensemble Asamisimasa, Ensemble Spinario, Podium Festival Ensemble, Asambura Ensemble, Ensemble CRUSH, Ensemble ur.werk, Ensemble Schwerpunkt, Defunensemble, L’art pour l’art

Musicians and Conductors

Sara Maria Sun, Julia Mihály, Damian Marhulets, Frank Gratkowski, Nicola L. Hein, Irene Kepl, Udo Moll, Bernd Konrad, Peter Rundel, Rupert Huber, Stefan Asbury, Marina Baranova

Composers

Helmut Lachenmann, Vinko Globokar, Fabio Nieder, Rebecca Saunders, Yann Robin, Snezana Nesic, Joachim Heintz, Georg Friedrich Haas, Elovian Hübner, Manos Tsangaris, Harrison Birtwhistle, Gerald Eckert, Eckart Beinke, Daria Androvska, Kostia Rapoport, and many more

Their artistic achievements have been recognized with numerous awards and fellowships, including the Schreyahn and Baldreit composition residencies, and support from institutions such as Deutscher Musikrat, Musikfonds, GVL, DOS, Auf geht’s! NRW, and the Ministry of Culture of Lower Saxony. In 2021, they received the FAUST Theatre Award as part of Orchester im Treppenhaus for their contribution to innovative concert curation.

Sem holds a Master of Music in Composition with a specialization in artificial intelligence from the Hochschule für Musik Trossingen (2023–2025) following a Bachelor of Music in Integrative Composition from Folkwang University of the Arts (2016–2021). Earlier studies include clarinet and composition at HMTM Hannover (2009–2014) and particiaptions at Darmstadt Summer Courses (2021) and Stockhausen Courses in Kürten (2013).

Sem’s work as a performer and composer has been documented in a range of recordings, including DISCO (Paschen, 2025), Dark Room (2023), Die Winterreise (2023), Zettelkasten (2020), and earlier releases with Das Neue Ensemble, Ensemble Reflexion K, and Orchester im Treppenhaus. Their bachelor’s thesis ÜberHören (2021) explores intersections between perceptual theory, listening practice, and algorithmic composition while their master’s thesis eigengrau (2025) explores the realm of artistic research from a metamodern perspective.