Composers
Hanna Blomberg
Hanna Blomberg is a musician, composer, and pedagogue based in Malmö, Sweden. She holds degrees in classical violin and composition from Malmö Academy of Music and has a strong background in Swedish folk music. Hanna is a vital member of the folk ensembles Trio Wolski and Stringflip. Her compositions are often inspired by personal narratives and visual art, blending evocative storytelling with contemporary sounds. Hanna’s works have been performed by prestigious ensembles such as the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Musica Vitae, Ensemble Mare Balticum, and Monbijou Quartet. She has been praised for her ability to craft music that is both beautiful and modern, with one critic noting that she achieved "a synthesis of the whole idea" in one of her works. Hanna's string quartet Flyg! has been particularly celebrated for being "singable and groovy, yet very beautiful without feeling old-fashioned." Her deep understanding of her instruments allows her to tell clear, engaging stories through a diverse range of techniques and tones, continuing to push the boundaries of contemporary composition.
Philipp Ortmeier
Philipp Ortmeier, who was born in Passau, began composing as a child and learnt the cello, piano and percussion. This was followed by studies in musicology, art history and Italian studies in Würzburg, Vienna, Kraków and Padua, as well as a PhD on the Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. To date, he has composed around 100 works, ranging from solo and chamber music to orchestral and choral works, as well as stage and film music. In autumn 2026, Philipp Ortmeier will undertake a working residency at the Brahmshaus Baden-Baden; in 2022, he was Composer in Residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in the USA. Among other honours, he won first Prize at the International Composers Competition “Orient/Occident” in Lviv (2023) and at the Diocese of Passau’s composition competition (2017). He has enjoyed successful collaborations with artists such as Lea Maria Löffler, Sarah Romberger and Marius Schwemmer, as well as ensembles including Sonare Linz, Singer Pur and the Sinfonietta Passau. Commissioned works have been created for, amongst others, the Bavarian State Parliament and the Frankfurt Architecture Museum. Philipp Ortmeier’s compositions are performed worldwide, for example in Japan, the Czech Republic, Italy and Ukraine. They are published by
renowned publishers such as Universal Edition and Schott Music.
Cornelius Hirsch
Cornelius Hirsch was born in 1954 in Munich. He first studied music and has performed with numerous orchestras and solo ensembles in Germany and abroad. 1980-89 he was firmly committed as a solo timpanist at the Kiel Opera. There, in 1983, he began studying art history, musicology and philosophy, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in 1989. In 1990 he received the Bavarian State Prize for Composition. Hirsch's compositions were performed by renowned soloists and orchestras and recorded on several CDs and other media. His works of experimental literature, for the stage and in visual arts were published as well, like his texts about art theory.
