Franck Adrian Holzkamp

Franck Adrian Holzkamp, born in Münster in 1966, is a composer, conductor and pianist living in Munich. He studied composition at the Detmold University of Music with Jürgen Ulrich, majoring in piano, and conducting with Karl-Heinz Bloemeke. While still a student, he spent extended periods in Israel, where he began his first opera Kinneret, based on his own libretto. He received awards early on, including the Mozart ’91 composition prize in 1991 for the chamber music work Soundscape. This was followed by invitations to international festivals and performances of numerous works, including the Piano Concerto (1994), the symphony “The Six Fundamental Feelings” (1997) and the Requiem for soloists, narrator, children’s choir, choir and orchestra (1996).

In addition to his compositional work, Holzkamp has made a name for himself as a pianist with his own solo programs and as musical director of various projects, such as the Munich Trinational Music Theatre Days. His works cover a broad spectrum from sacred music(Laudate Dominum, Pater Noster) and operas(Casanova, Haarmann, Das Labyrinth – der Zauberflöte zweyther Theil) to commissioned compositions for orchestra, chamber music and stage music. Collaborations with poets such as Gerd Scherm led to song cycles such as Mondspuren, and he also developed interdisciplinary programs, for example with the physicist Harald Lesch.

Important stages in his career include performances in Germany and Europe, including in Prague, Lyon and Finland, where he has been a guest several times and premiered the work Aurora Borealis – Revontulet. Holzkamp has won several composition competitions, including the Herbert Baumann Foundation and Harmonia Classica in Vienna. His works range from large orchestral scores to intimate solo pieces and chamber music.

His more recent works include the Missa for soloists, children’s choir, choir and orchestra (2022), which he dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI, the orchestral fantasy Die Himmelsharfe as well as new motets and chamber music. In 2023, his Sinfonietta Visurgia was premiered by the Kammersinfonie Oldenburg. Holzkamp’s work combines spiritual depth, dramatic stage effect and a strong affinity for intercultural and interdisciplinary projects.