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Andreas Vollenweider (b. October 4, 1953) is a Swiss musician. His music has been categorized as World Music, Jazz, New Age or even Classical; two of his albums were number 1 on the Billboard charts simultaneously in the categories Classical, Jazz, Pop and Crossover for many weeks; his music is very dynamic and colorful. His primary instrument is an electrically modified harp of his own design, but he also plays a wide variety of instruments from around the world, including the Chinese guzheng. His albums feature many musicians performing his compositions with him, ranging from simple solos to suites for orchestra and soloists. His music is mostly instrumental but he has occasionally forayed into vocal music as well.
His past collaborators include Bobby McFerrin, Carly Simon, Djivan Gasparyan, Luciano Pavarotti, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Carlos Nunez, Ray Anderson, and Milton Nascimento (among many others).
Politically, Andreas Vollenweider is a pacifist (follower of the principles of non-violent conflict management of Mahatma Gandhi) who features quotes from Gandhi, among others, on his website and is currently involved in spreading awareness of the American war in Iraq by posting a ticker on the current casualties, American and Iraqi, on his website.
Vollenweider was born on October 4, 1953 in Zurich. His father, Hans Vollenweider, was one of Europe's leading organists. Andreas grew up in a creatively diverse and inspiring environment. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, he searched for 'his' instrument. In 1975, he discovered the harp and developed his own style, tailoring the instrument according to his needs. Thus, he created a new instrument for himself: the electro-acoustic harp. Vollenweider composes for film, theater and TV productions.
The year 1979 marked his Swiss debut album, Eine Art Suite in XIII Teilen, which is considered the cradle of the Vollenweider sound. Two years later, in 1981, Andreas Vollenweider & Friends performed their first show at the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival. The following autumn saw the release of the album Behind The Gardens, Behind The Wall, Under The Tree This proved to be a success with both critics and the audience, putting Vollenweider's distinct sound on the map.
In 1983, he emphasised his commitment to the environmental and peace movements with the single Pace Verde ("Green Peace") and its much-talked about video. In the same year, he received an Edison Award in Amsterdam for his innovative sound. One year later, his 1983 album White Winds broke through in no less than three US charts: pop, classical and jazz. His first US tour was hugely successful.
He played for sold-out venues on his 1985 US tour, conquering New York's Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
In 1987, Vollenweider's album Down To The Moon received a Grammy Award, and was followed by tours in Canada and the US, as well as 13 European countries, Japan and Australia.
The dynamic album Dancing With The Lion was created in 1988 and 1989. For the first time, Vollenweider opened his project to numerous guests from a wide range of musical genres. He directed and produced two award-winning videos, for which he also contributes to the storyline, the choreography and the set and costume designs.
The compilation album Trilogy was released in 1990, comprised of the three albums Behind The Gardens, Caverna Magica and White Winds, as well as the Pace Verde single and selections from Art Suite. This was followed in 1991 by the album Book of Roses, on which Vollenweider included symphonic orchestral elements for the first time.
In 1992, he participated in a benefit show for Chernobyl's children on Moscow's Red Square, and he received the World Music Award in Monaco.
For the first time, Vollenweider produced an album with lyrics -- 1993-1994 Eolian Minstrel, with contributions from American singers Carly Simon and Eliza Gilkyson. Its release was followed by worldwide tours. (Previous albums had featured wordless vocals, both solo and chorus.)
In 1994, he performed at the Pavarotti and Friends event in Modena (Italy), where he played duets with Luciano Pavarotti and rock balladeer Bryan Adams.
Prior to 1997, he played a series of shows in remarkable locations: a tour of Polish castles, a show with Italian singer/songwriter Zucchero at the 2500-meter-high location (at -8 Celsius) of Brunico in the Southern Alps, and in a giant volcanic cave at Lanzarote's Festival Musica Visual. After doing tours and open air shows in Europe and the US, he played for the first time in Latin America in 1995.
In 1998, he started to record Kryptos, a work for symphonic orchestras and guest virtuosi from all over the world. Parts of Kryptos were performed with the RAI orchestra at Italy's San Remo festival. Vollenweider initiated a live symphonic project called Wolkenstein in 1998. The release of these recordings is currently being prepared.
In 1999, Vollenweider returned to free improvisation and intimate musical dialogues with his album Cosmopoly. He invited friends from all over the globe to create world music in the true sense of the word: the American vocal acrobat Bobby McFerrin, the Brazilian cult poet and singer Milton Nascimento, the South-African ethno-jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the 74-year old Armenian duduk legend Djivan Gasparyan, the Galician bag-pipe and whistle virtuoso Carlos Nuñez, the American songwriter and legend Carly Simon, and American blues-trombone-master Ray Anderson, among others.
2000 - 2001, travelling with the "Cosmopoly" Project Through Europe: With the configuration of musicians changing almost daily, Vollenweider was following the open concept of the album. In New York they played two concerts for the release of "Cosmopoly" in the US. This time, Andreas’ friend Carly Simon joined the group, as well as Mindy Jostyn, Carlos Nuñez, Dschivan GasparyanJivan Gasparian, XiaoJing Wang and Walter Keiser, in addition to concerts in Brazil with Milton Nascimento and composer/pianist Wagner Tiso. In 2001, Andreas performed in Bali (Indonesia) at the international conference “Song of Convergence” with Balinese musicians. He began writing the symphonic novel "Tales of Kira Kutan", which premiered at the Warsaw Film Music Festival in the same year, with the orchestra Sinfonia Varsowia (Yehudi Menuhin), conducted by co-orchestrator André Bellmont. In September, in Athens (Greece), at the old Olympic stadium, he performed the theaterpiece "Socrates -- Dawn of Civilization" with American actor Rod Steiger as Socrates. Vollenweider’s large scale soundtrack was a dramatic blend of sound design, choirs and percussion. "Carte blanche" was performed at the AVO Festival in Basel, Switzerland, his guests including (besides mini orchestra) Abdullah Ibrahim and David Lindley.
2002 - Performed at the Budapest Spring Festival, Hungary. Performance of the symphonies "Tales of Kira Kutan" and "Wolkenstein" at the Festival and "Live at Sunset" in Zurich with Sinfonia Varsovia. European summer tour with newly-formed AVAF Mini-Orchestra includes performance at the "Big Chill Festival" in England; tour continues in the fall 0f 2002. Guest performance at the birthday concert of jazz composer George Gruntz in Zug, Switzerland; collaboration with German filmcomposer Hans Zimmer in Los Angeles for the movie "Tears of the Sun", starring Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci.
2003 - Continued work with Hans Zimmer. Performed with mini-orchestra in Johannesburg and at the North Sea Festival in Cape Town with guest performer Pops Mohamed. Remainder of 2003 spent writing and recording the official "new Vollenweider album 2004", which was to be released on major label beginning of 2004.
2004-2005 - AVAF continued to increase touring activities in Europe. Entire catalogue was re-mastered and re-released on new record labels worldwide (USA/Canada: www.kinkoumusic.com; international: www.edel.com). Compilation, "The Best of "Magic Harp" was released in the US and Canada and "The Storyteller" in Europe. A four-hour DVD was produced, which will be released 2006. Vollenweider played for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama at his visit in Zurich.
In 2005 Vollenweider released VOX, featuring his own voice more than any previous album of his.
2006 first quarter, tour in Europe, re-activating of the touring activities in the US since more than ten years, tour from coast to coast. Release of first DVD "The Magical Journeys", with almost four hours of live concerts, documentaries, interviews. During the summer; recording of the new album Midnight Clear, collaborating with american singer-songwriter legend Carly Simon, fourth quarter; touring in Europe, release of Midnight Clear worldwide, as well as the DVD "Magical Journey" in the rest of the world.
(www.wikipedia.com)
Discography -
Eine Art Suite in XIII Teilen (An Art Suite in XIII Parts), 1979
. Behind the Gardens - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree ., 1980
Caverna Magica (. Under the Tree - In the Cave .), 1982
White Winds (Seeker's Journey), 1984
Down To the Moon, 1986
Dancing With the Lion, 1989
Traumgarten (Garden of Dreams), 1990
The Trilogy, 1990
Book of Roses, 1991
Eolian Minstrel, 1993
Andreas Vollenweider and Friends - Live, 1994
Kryptos, 1997
Cosmopoly, 1999
The Essential Andreas Vollenweider, 2001
Vox, 2004
The Storyteller, 2005
The Magical Journeys of Andreas Vollenweider, 2006, DVD
Midnight Clear, 2006
AIR, 2009
