Monika Roscher

Monika Roscher was born in Nuremberg in 1984 and studied jazz guitar with Peter O’Mara and composition with Gregor Hübner at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. In addition to writing for her big band, Roscher is a composer of contemporary classical music and music for stage plays. She has received numerous accolades as a composer, guitarist, and band leader of the critically acclaimed Monika Roscher Bigband. Roscher has written works for string quartet, dulcimer ensemble, as well as pieces for large ensembles, including a fantasia for orchestra and a dies irae for mixed choir, brass orchestra, and pipe organ.

She wrote the live music for Ulrich Rasche’s theater productions “The Notebook/ Das große Heft” (Staatsschauspiel Dresden), “Woyzeck” (Theater Basel), and “Elektra” (Residenztheater Munich), which captivated audience and critics alike with its hypnotic sonic fury. The multi-hour pieces for strings and rhythm section are a constitutive part of each production. The press remarked: “Music, light and stage design perfectly intertwine.” (Deutschlandfunk) “A colossal stage experience” with “diabolically howling music.” (Der Spiegel) “Archaic minimalism between Rammstein and Steve Reich.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Both “The Notebook” and “Woyzeck” were invited to the Berliner Theatertreffen.

Roscher is a member of the Munich Composer’s Collective (MCC), led by Gregor Hübner. As a guitarist, Roscher has collaborated with New York avant-garde legend Elliot Sharp (Cleanfeed Records), among others. She wrote for the International Composers & Improvisers Collective (ICI) and is a member of the Augsburg-based free jazz trio TMT. 

As a singer, she appeared on Gerd Baumann’s movie soundtracks for “Beste Chance” (directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller) and “Spieltrieb” (based on the novel by Juli Zeh). 

She held a visiting professorship in Composition at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and is a frequently booked seminar leader.