Till Künkler

Ensemble Modern has a new trombonist: its members elected Till Künkler their new ensemble member. He has a long-standing connection with the ensemble. After completing the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) degree course, he has been a regular guest artist with Ensemble Modern since 2014. He joined Ensemble Modern as a regular member in the summer of 2026.

Till Künkler studied at the Cologne Academy of Music and Dance and graduated from the course the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) offers at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. The recipient of a DAAD scholarship, he attended the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts. Künkler is a member of the Ensemble Garage and the Omniversal Earkestra, has played with artists and ensembles such as Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Klangforum Wien, Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra, Barry Guy and Salif Keita. He has performed at festivals such as the Jazzfest Berlin, Salzburg Festival, the Donaueschingen Music Days, Moers Jazz Festival and Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda. Tours have taken him throughout the USA, Mali, Brazil, China and Europe. On his tours, he enjoys busking on the streets as well as in concert halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, Sala São Paulo and others. He was a soloist at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the Diaghilev Festival in Perm, among others.

The focus of his artistic work is bringing different musical worlds together. In his solo project, he combines the trombone with analogue modular synthesizers, digital pitch transposers, samplers and sequencers. In Till Künkler, Ensemble Modern gains a musician who has many years of experience in contemporary music, jazz, free improvisation and a pronounced interest in cross-genre sonic worlds.

Till Künkler is »overjoyed to be able to play even more than so far with these incredible musicians. The Ensemble has this inexhaustible curiosity and this witty, intelligent creativity. No matter what music they are tackling - they are all wide awake, reacting with lightning speed and meeting any challenge with cheerful ingenuity. I am enthusiastic and highly motivated to shape the musical future with Ensemble Modern.« His brass colleagues are also looking forward to Till Künkler. »Till is a great fit, in human and musical terms; he brings great experience, impressive expressivity and a wonderful artistic creativity to the table«, says trumpet player Sava Stoianov. »Till is one of the most creative and versatile musicians I know. Playing with him and learning from his experiences with musical styles I hardly know has broadened my horizon incredibly. I am looking forward immensely to be playing with him in the Ensemble soon«, horn player Thomas Mittler adds.