Daniel Kartmann

Born and raised in Romania, Daniel Kartmann received his initial musical training as a piano student of his father. After relocating to Germany, he learned oboe and percussion at the music school in Böblingen. In his youth, he was not only in the school orchestra, big band, and choir, but also played the music of Frank Zappa in a percussion ensemble, sang in a vocal quartet and several church choirs, as well as playing Baroque music and in a jazz band. After completing his German high school diploma (Abitur), he studied classical percussion, jazz, and popular music at the State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart.

He then worked extensively in a wide range of genres as a percussionist, timpanist, percussionist, vibraphonist, composer, singer, and actor, including with the Kartmann-Kollektiv, Ensemble Lapis Lazuli, the Zeitsprung Consort, Ensemble Percorda, the bands The Great Boredom, Tuyala, Portosol, Zakuska, as well as with the Materialtheater Stuttgart ensemble and the orchestra Il Gusto Barocco.

This was followed by invitations to the Salzburg Festival, Ludwigsburg Festival, Blickfelder in Zurich, the Jerusalem Puppet Festival, the Izmir International Puppet Days, Carrés Rottendes Luxemburg, and to the Staatstheater Stuttgart and Nationaltheater Mannheim.

Since 2008, Daniel Kartmann has performed at the monthly danopticum event – a workshop for free-improvised and experimental music held in JazzClub Kiste in Stuttgart. He also curates the festival of the same name, which takes place every two years, as well as DUE DUE, a festival for duo performances.  Important companions on his musical and artistic journey include Nicolas Schulze, Ekkehard Rössle, Joel Locher, Tomomi Adachi, Manfred Kniel, Mohamad Fityan, Johannes Vogt, Alberto Garcia Sanchez, Annelie Gahl, and Sandra Hartmann. Daniel Kartmann lives with his family of six in Stuttgart.