Steffen Schorn

Steffen Schorn is an internationally reknown low woodwind specialist, composer, improviser and conductor. He has been performing extensively around the world in more than 70 countries and won numerous prizes and awards.
As a specialist for the low end of the woodwind family he has worked together leading figures in the international jazz world like Hermeto Pascoal e Grupo, Natalie Cole, Maria Schneider, Al Jarreau, Vince Mendoza, Don Cherry, Scott Robinson, as well as Ensemble Modern, Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, Hamburger Staatsoper, Doelen Ensemble Rotterdam, Ensemble Denada Norway, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, The Orchestra Denmark.
In his working bands like Soul Twins, Schorn Puntin Duo, Triosphere, Kölner Saxophon Mafia, Steffen Schorn Septet, Universe of Possibilities, he has developed a personal tone language combining spontaneity and structure with sophisticated groove.
His works have been performed in many countries, including commissioned works for Donaueschinger Musiktage, Oslo Jazz Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Int New Jazz Meeting Baden Baden, Roaring Hooves Festival Mongolia, Festa do Jazz Lisboa, Romanischer Sommer Köln.
As a conductor he has worked with international Ensembles like the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Danish Chamber Players, Nuremberg Symphonic Orchestra, Netherlands Youth Orchestra & Youth Jazz Orchestra, as well as all German Radio Big Bands: WDR, NDR, HR and SWR.
His repertoire for large and small ensembles consists of 11 concert suites, an inner opera, a selection of Jazz-based tunes called „Songbook“, the rhythmically advanced „Groovebook“ and over 30 arrangements of tunes by the Brazilian genius Hermeto Pascoal.
Since 2001 he is professor for saxophone and composition and artistic head of the jazz department at the Musikhoschschule in Nürnberg.
From 2009 to 2012 he was curator for „realtime music“ with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, from 2014 to 2019 he was artistic director and since 2019 composer in residence of the Zurich Jazz Orchestra. He has written over 100 arrangements for the ensemble and produced a trilogy of three CDs. The first album „Three Pictures“ has been chosen as best big band album of the year 2018 by allaboutjazz.com