Gunda Gottschalk

Violin, Viola

Gunda Gottschalk from Wuppertal, after all the birthplace of German improvised music, is not only a virtuoso and internationally performing violinist, but also an organizer of concerts and artist residencies in the famous ‘Ort’, the former workplace of the late Peter Kowald, one of the founders of improvised music in the 60s and 70s.

Gunda Gottschalk plays improvised and contemporary music and combines her musical work with other art forms such as dance, theater, film, composition, visual art and literature.
In 1994/95 the violinist met the bassist Peter Kowald, who during this year carried out his project ‘365 Tage am ORT’ (365 Days in Place) in Wuppertal. She performed in Peter Kowald’s Ort-Ensemble and with important international soloists for improvised music such as Joelle Leandre, Carlos Zingaro, Even Parker.

1995-2002 Together with Xu Feng Xia she made up the core trio of Peter Kowald’s ‘Global Village’ Ensemble, which brought together musicians from radically different cultural heritages. In ensembles ranging from trio to sextet, ‘Global Village’ performed in Europe and the USA.
Solo tours in 2002 and 2003 took the musician all over the USA. There she played with William Parker, Susie Ibarra, Assif Tsahar, Michael Zerang, Oliver Lake and Fred Frith among many others.

Gunda Gottschalk has been well represented on festivals of contemporary and improvised music all over Europe and is a regular guest at the avant-garde festival ‘visions’ in New York.