vita english


  • Henning Schmiedt * (pianist, composer, arranger, producer)

Henning Schmiedt was born in 1965 in Schlema / Saxony.
Since the age of 7 years he took piano lessons and sang in church choirs.

Art and music were a refuge for the son of a priest and pacifist in communist East Germany .

Training in piano at the Conservatory of Rostock.

since 1986

Numerous concerts, CD productions, beginning with jazz-oriented ensemble.

From 1989

increasingly influenced by contemporary and world music.

He composed several film and theater music.

1991

“Theodorakis sings Theodorakis” first cooperation with Mikis Theodorakis.

Since 1993

Collaboration with singer Jocelyn B. Smith – various publications.

1994

New arrangments and CD Production of the “Kindertotenlieder by Gustav Mahler for the ORB Brandenburg with Lauren Newton

Realization of a theatre music for “The Metamorphosis” on motifs by Franz Kafka with disabled musicians (premiere 1994 Deutsches Theater Berlin)

1995

Establishing the “PAmagieRA” – projects with Volker Schlott European tour with Mikis Theodorakis occasion of his 70th Birthday, live recording of a CD Beginning of cooperation with Maria Farantouri

1996

Realization of an instrumental CD, mostly his own compositions (PAmagieRA)

Chamber music arrangements of “POETICA” – production with Mikis Theodorakis and Maria Farantouri

Concert in the “Megarou Musikis” Athens – Conductor Nicos Tsuchlos

Soloist in concerts with symphonic works by Mikis Theodorakis (Sinfonietta, Etat de Siege) with the St. Petersburg Soloists including Leipzig Gewandhaus

1997

Arranger and music director of the European tour “POETICA” – Maria Farantouri

1998

Arranger and musical director of “Asmata” – Production Mikis Theodorakis and Maria Farantouri – European tour

Arranger and music director of the Kurt Weill / George Gershwin-production “Blue light & nylons” with Jocelyn B. Smith Gigs at Weill Festival in Dessau

New – Orchestration of the “Canto General” by Mikis Theodorakis for symphonic orchestra, together with Jens Naumilkat –

Performances in Linz / Austria with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz-conductor Lukas Karytinos and Montreal / Canada – Conductor Mikis Theodorakis

1999

New – Orchestration of the opera “Kostas Kariotakis – The transformation of Dionysus” by Mikis Theodorakis for the European Music Festival Passau

Publication of the second PAmagieRA – CD “Okanagan

Musical Director and arranger of the “First Songs” by Mikis Theodorakis

Concert in the “Holocaust Memorial Center in Washington with Mary Farantouri with an arrangement of the” Mauthausen-cycle for voice, piano, cello and live electronics

Arranger of symphonic Millennium – Events on the Athenian Acropolis for Mikis Theodorakis with the orchestra of the Athens-Opera conductor Lukas Karytinos, Mikis Theodorakis. transmitted worldwide by the BBC and CNN to about 800 million people.

Producer, arranger, and co-composer of the soundtrack to the film “Beware of greeks bearing guns” Australia / Greece (World Media / Universal)

2000

Arranger and music director of the CD “Margarita” JBSmith sings love songs by Mikis Theodorakis.Premiere in the Berlin Philharmonie

Participation in the “Concert for Peace – Maria Farantouri and Zülfü Livaneli in the Townhall New York (uamit Al di Meola, Ara Dinkjian)

Concert in London’s Elizabeth Hall in honor of George Seferis

Composer and arranger of the soundtrack to the movie Dokumentarfim “Kurt Weill” by Sven Düfer

Ilahi project with Sufi songs in the Berlin Holy Cross Church with Sema and Suleyman Erguner

Music Director of the World Tour “Nostalgia” with Mary Farantouri (including Melbourne – Concert Hall, Brussels – Ancienne Belgique, Amsterdam – Paradiso)

Music Director of the gala concert for Mikis Theodorakis 75th Birthday on the Muenchener Koenigsplatz

Musical director and arranger Ferropolis events with Mikis Theodorakis, Gert Hof, Maria Farantouri, Jocelyn B. Smith, Chamber Orchestra Schloss Werneck

Premiere of the chamber version of Theodorakis’s opera “The Metamorphoses of Dionysus-Kostas Kariotakis” at the Athens Opera, directed by Gert Hof

Cooperation with the Catalan singer Maria del Mar Bonet, concert at L’Auditori Barcelona

Pianist for the Brandenburg Philharmonic in the performance of the symphonic “Canto General conductor” Juergen Bruns

2001

Cooperation with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra-Music Director of the Liberation Day events in the context of the European Capital of Culture Maria Farantouri

Composer and arranger of the soundtrack to the movie Documentary “Kurt Weill” by Sven Düfer, festival participation in St. Petersburg and Dessau

Publication of the solo piano CD “Bilder”

Guest soloist with the Deutsche Symphony Orchestra Berlin, conductor Peter Rundel

Opening concert of the International Frankfurt Book Fair (Maria Farantouri)

Guest of the symphony the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (Musica Viva), conductor Peter Rundel

Recital with Maria Farantouri and Jannis Vakarelis in the Athens Megaron Musikis songs by Mikis Theodorakis in the arrangments by H. Schmiedt

Musical Director European Tour “One century of Greek songs” with Mary Farantouri

Arranger and Musical Director of the Christmas production of “MY CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE” with Jocelyn B. Smith (hymns, American. And europ. Carols with jazz musicians and the children of the Komische Oper Berlin)

Festival Concerts with Maria del Mar Bonet and Maria Farantouri in Spain

Concerts with the Chinese Sheng-player Wu Wei

Music Director of the “Christmas” Tour-Gigs in the Prince Regent Theatre in Munich and in the Harald Schmidt Show

2002

Composition of the opera fragment “restricted area”, libretto Masen Abou-Dakn

Concert with Jocelyn B. Smith on the occasion of the awarding of the Biennale-film prize of the Federal Republic of Germany to Mikis Theodorakis

Lecturer of the Ars and Lectures program at the University of California at Santa Barbara (Artist in residence),
Concert with Maria Farantouri and folk singer from Athens Maryo
Also concerts at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, and at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY as musical director of Berlin’s instrumentalists

Composition of a sound installation in collaboration with Peter Francesco Marino “Insidious Yellow Highlights”,

Co-producer and arranger of the CD “Back To Soul” B. Jocelyn Smith

Musical Director of “Christmas” Tour Jocelyn B. Smith Schloss Elmau, Tonhalle Düsseldorf

2003

Concert in the European Parliament in Brussels with Maria Farantouri

Music Director of the guest performance by Maria Farantouri at the festival in Pordenone, Italy in honor of Vassilis Vassilikos

Jazz Award by the Federation of the Phonographic Industry as Arangeur Jocelyn B. Smith and producer of the CD “Blue Light & Nylons”

Music Director of the European tour by Maria Farantouri – “The Voice of Peace” with Zülfü Livaneli as guest

Guest performance with the Turkish singer SEMA and Taksim invited by the Goethe Institute in Istanbul at Tünel Festival

Music Director of the Ilahi project with SEMA in Koc MuseumI Istanbul at the 31st International Istanbul Festival

Participation in the Ecumenical Church Congress Expertendinner of the first in Berlin / Brandenburg Gate as Musical Director of Jocelyn B. Smith

Participation in the benefit concert in Nicosia on the occasion of opening the border between the Greek and Turkish part of Cyprus with Zülfü Livaneli and Maria Farantouri

Guest performance at the International Folk Music Festival-Kaustinen in Finland with Maria Farantouri

Opening concert of the Zurich Theatre Spectacle with SEMA and Taksim

Arranger of symphonic concert with songs by Bridges Zülfü Livaneli sung by Maria Farantouri uaim Athens Concert Hall Athens. Conductor: Semyon Gokan Volos Philharmonic

Arranger of the CD recording with songs by Mikis Theodorakis – Maria Farantouri and Jannis Vakarelis

Cooperation with the Fado singer Telmo Pires

2004

Opening concert of the “German-Turkish Culture Weeks” with Zülfü Livaneli and Maria Farantouri in the Munich Philharmonic (Gasteig)

Arranger of the European anthem Children of Peter Thomas / Optical implementation by the light artist Gert Hof –
First performance at Eurovision Gala for the enlargement of the European Union-Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt Berlin – live broadcast at approximately 1.7 billion people around the world

Producer for the Portuguese singer Telmo Pires CD Passos

Participation in the winners’ concert of the German Folkpreises for Wu Wei

Gala Concert with JBSmith the occasion of the presentation of the German Hörfilmpreises 2004

Requiem composition and production based on a text by the painter Johann Heinrich Radeloff in co-production with RBB and the Children’s Komische Oper Berlin, soloist Hagen Matzeit JB Smith

2005

Companion for Jocelyn B. Smith at the Central Ecumenical memorial service for victims of the tsunami disaster in South Asia

Benefit concert by RBB Radio Multikulti with Jocelyn B. Smith RBB Radio Multikulti transmits this concert live – like the German wave (DW) for Asia and Australia, Africa and Europe. In addition, several radio stations in Europe, the USA and Asia, connected live

Ilahi – common project with the singer SEMA for Peregrina Music

Musical director of the Berlin Soloists on the occasion of opening the 80th Birthday of Mikis Theodorakis in Luxembourg

Concert with Maria Farantouri in Paris for Women Against Fundamentalism and for Equality.

with Jocelyn B. Smith concert “a day for democracy” live on Branbenburger gate

Arranger of Mary Farantouri / Zülfü Livaneli for Legend Records CD-Athen live presentation in Istanbul , Ankara

Recital with Maria Farantouri Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Brussels

Arranger and music director with the actress Katrin Sass ( Goodbye Lenin) Director Bettina Boettinger

Concerts as conductor of the Berlin Instrumntalisten with Mary Farantouri in Vienna (Concert Hall), Munich, Zurich

Arranger of the CD “FIRST SONGS” (intuition) by Mikis Theodorakis
Soloist with film music concerts of the Philharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz (conductor Jonathan Butcher, Ari Rasilainen – soloist JB Smith)

Arranger and soloist for the award of the IMC-UNESCO Music Award for Mikis Theodorakis with the Symphony Orchestra Aachen

2006

two-month study in Japan

Festival appearances with Jocelyn B. Smith e.g. Semper Opera Dresden

Participation in the opening concert of the 12th Jewish Film Festival Berlin with Jocelyn B. Smith and cantor Roslyn Barak (San Francisco)

Festival performances with “Ilahiler Nevesler Ve-Mystic Sufigesänge” Others Dresden Music Festival with Sema and the clarinet virtuoso Selim Sesler

Premiere of the piano solo program “MA”

Piano recital with Maria Farantouri e.g. Neu-Hardenberg, München, Antwerp

Christmas concerts with Tomoko Masur, Koko Taylor, Sylvain Fournier
New Year’s Eve Gala of the German Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the Circus Roncalli-conductor Jonathan Butler

2007

Germany tour as music director of Katrin Sass

Arranger of the CD “Maria Farantouri-The Way Home” Peregrina Music

New recording of Henning Schmiedt and Jens Naumilkat dedicated work of East Aegean by Mikis Theodorakis

Concert with Maria Farantouri Philharmonie Berlin

joint concerts with Zülfü Livaneli and Jocelyn B. Smith in Bodrum (Turkey)

Classic Open Air with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Jocelyn B. Smith. Conductor Stefan Dieterich

China tour with Ensemble Linktogether, workshops, master classes

Requiem premiere Bremen St. Stephani e.g. with Carolin Masur, Hagen Matzeit, children of the Komische Oper, Gert Anklam, Volker Schlott, Anne Christin Black, HH Lorenz, Tim Gunther, Pago Balke

CD Release Solo CD “Klavieraum” Peregrina

CD Release “P & H” Dahm and Peter Henning Schmiedt

Beyaz TV show in Turkey with Zulfu Livaneli and Jocelyn B. Smith

Concert with saxophone Charles Lloyd, Zakir Hussein, tabla, Eric Harland, drums, and Mary Farantouri in Athens

Christmas concerts with Tomoko Masur, Koko Taylor, Sylvain Fournier

2008

Georg Kreisler program Pago Balke / Peter Dahm CD release “Wer braucht Humor?”
Concerts with Soloists of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

Concerts in Athens with Maria Farantouri in Meagrou Musikis works by Mikis Theodorakis

TV documentary for ERT Greece in Barcelona, Spain on cooperation by Maria del Mar Bonet with Maria Farantouri

Concerts with Jocelyn B. Smith and Zülfü Livaneli in Nuremberg on the occasion of the German / turkish film festivals and in Antalya / Turkey

World Premiere of “East of the Aegean” Henning Schmiedt and Jens Naumilkat in Berlin

Recording of the “Goldberg Variations” as the soundtrack for the Ship of light-DVD by Gert Hof

Concerts in the ancient theater of Epidaurus Farantouri with Maria Farantouri and George Lazaridis

Concerts with Jocelyn B. Smith and Zülfü Livaneli in Bodrum, Istanbul, Antalya and many cities in Germany on the occasion of the publication of the novel “bliss”

Greek Rhapsodies concerts with the Philharmonic Orchestra Volkswagen, Zülfü Livaneli, Maria Farantouri in Cologne and Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Hans Ulrich Kolff

Concerts with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester
Conductor Leo Hussain, Berlin Philharmonic
New Age Rhapsody Livaneli
Halil Karaduman soloists, Nuri Karademirli, Henning Schmiedt

Berlin Paul’s Church performance of “Requiem”
Carolin Masur, Hagen Matzeit, children of the Komische Oper, Volker Schlott, Wu Wei, Sabine Vogel, Ann Katrin Schwarz, HDLorenz, Tim Günther, Henning Schmiedt, recitation Pago Balke Johann Heinrich Radeloff

2009

Concerts with the Symphony Orchestra in Izmir Izmir, Rosenheim
Conductor, Hansjörg Schellenberger
New Age Rhapsody Livaneli
Halil Karaduman soloists, Henning Schmiedt

Thessaloniki, Greece – Homage to Mikis Theodorakis. Maria Farantouri interprets songs from the cycles: Odyssey, A Hostage, The Ballad of Mauthausen and Farantouri Cycle. Dionyssis Tsaknis is interpreting the cycle with Maria Farantouri A Hostage.
Musical Director Henning SchmiedtHomage to Yannis Ritsos. Maria Farantouri and George Dalaras interpret Mikis Theodorakis’s cycle songs, based on Ritsos poetry, Epitaphios, Romiossini and 18 Little Songs For My Bitter Homeland.
Piano Henning Schmiedt
Concert with Zülfü Livaneli und Ensemble RIAS Jugendorchester
Duo Concerts with Peter Dahm
Concerts with Pago Balke and Peter Dahm “heute Pago”
Concerts with Katrin Sass “Hallo Katrin”

2010

Solo Piano Tour “Wolken” in Japan Kyoto, Toyama, Tokio
Arrangments for the Movie “Veda” by Zülfü Livaneli
Concerts with Livaneli in Paris , Metz, Augsburg, Izmir
“Transition 2010”- artist in residence of Kulturwerkstatt Westend Bremen
Concert with Maria Farantouri in Antalya for Ismail Cem TV Award_

Concert with Maria Farantouri Ismail Cem TV Award in Antalya
Artist in Residence of Kulturwerkstatt Bremen
Transition 2010 Festival

- new concertprogramm Peter Dahm Henning Schmiedt “Sarki” songs by Livaneli for Saxofon and Piano

Concert with Petros Pandis and Maria Frantouri for 85. birthday of Theodorakis

Organ Solo concert with works by and for Theodorakis

2011

concerts with Zülfü Livaneli in Prague und New York – Summerstage Central Park with NY Gypsy Allstars, Al di Meola

concerts with Maria Farantouri in Bruxelles, Zurich, Stuttgart

2012

concerts with Zülfü Livaneli and New York Gypsy Allstars in U.S/Canada New York, Washington, Chicago, Toronto

Japan Tournee Solo Piano – 11 concerts in Tokio, Kyoto, Sendai, Fukuoka

Opening concert of Deutsch Türkischen Filmfestivals in Dortmund with Zülfü Livaneli

2013

CD “Schnee” Solo Piano flau records Tokio

Concerts in London, Istanbul with Zülfü Livaneli

CD Production “ Königskinder” for Katrin Sass

Concerts with Maria Farantouri in Antwerpen, Brugge, Luxemburg, Munich
Eternal day- Rumi Projekt by Zülfü Livaneli arranged and produced by Henning Schmiedt
with Romy Kamerun / Burcu Karadag / Uli Beckerhoff

2014

Japan Tournee Solo Piano – Konzerte u.a in Tokio, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Kobe
Concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, Paris, Zurich, Berlin with Zülfü Livaneli
Eternal day-
Opening concert for the International Istanbul Jazz Festival with the Rumi Suite Eternal Day by Zülfü Livaneli arranged by Henning Schmiedt and performed by Henning Schmiedt Ensemble with Romy Kamerun Burcu Karadag

Concerts in Sydney und Melbourne mit Zülfü Livaneli

2015

Erman Imayan and Henning Schmiedt perform Homage to Gomidas by Zülfü Livaneli in the Istanbul Concert In Memoriam 24 Nisan
CD Walzer Solo Piano flau records Tokyo
Concerts Katrin Sass
concert with Zülfü Livaneli and Maria Farantouri on the Green line of Nicosia/Cyprus
Solo Piano Tour Japan, Piano Era Festival Tokyo
Europe Tour with Maria Farantouri Helsinki, Berlin, Amsterdam, Zürich

2016

Mediterranian concert for Peace in Grand Dome of United Nations in Geneva with Maria Farantouri, Maria del Mar Bonet

Musical director for the tribute concert for Zülfü Livanelis 70. birthday Bremen Sendesaal

Concert with Eskisehir Symphony Orchestra works by Z. Livaneli
Piano Cello Recital with Erman Imayhan in London

Istanbul Symposium honoring Zülfü Livanelis 50 year in art

2017

Berlinale concert Katrin Sass
Recital Erman Imayhan Cello und Henning Schmiedt Piano
Nuremberg / Deutsch Türkisches Film Festival Opening Ceremony

European Tour with Maria Farantouri

Opening ceremony Livaneli Cultural Center Ankara

new album Schöneweide –
Japan Tour Solo Piano 19 Concerts

2018
European Tour with Maria Farantouri
Concert with Maria Farantouri honouring Mikis Theodorakis at Salzburg University
Symphonic and chamberconcerts with Zülfü Livaneli in Turkey/Germany
Concerts with Katrin Sass
Cello /Piano Recital with Anja Lechner

2019
Opening concert of the Hellas Film Box Festival
Concerts in Korea at DMZ Peace Festival with Maria Farantouri
Single “Sitano” (flau 2019)
Solo Piano Album Klavierraum, später (flau,2019)
Album with Marie Seferian under the moniker NOUS (flau 2019)
Single with Tara Nome Doyle (flau 2019)
Album “Klavierraum- später” (flau)

2020
Tour with Maria Farantouri/Asaf Kachouli
Album “Schlafen” (flau)