Andreas Karl
Music and texts

EM: mail@andreaskarl.at
IG: a_ndreas_karl

Imprint
​© Andreas Karl
Vienna, Austria, 2024
Photo: Marija Jociute

Bio

Andreas Karl creates music and music-related texts. His interests encompass interlingual phenomena, translation errors, mapping-processes, the culture of mistakes, and ecological trauma. In his projects, he frequently partners with choreographer Hou Ying, poet and stage director Liang Dandan, and textile and colour artist Christina Dörfler. Since 2010 Karl and his music have been integral parts of the social sculptures of hoelb/hoeb, addressing social taboos such as grief, illness, and care work. In collaboration with philosopher Katherina Kinzel, he penned the libretto for Song Yang's chamber opera "The Envoy" exploring the narrative of a space probe that left behind in a shattering state of idleness after completing its tasks. For composer Ying Wang, he contributed libretti for the opera "Lorry 39" and the monodrama "DELETE (sic!)", both pieces delving into the fatal consequences of misinformation, carelessness, and isolation. Karl plays live sets using guitar, theremin, dulcimer, and various objects and occasionally adopted the alter ego Cornelius Berkowitz.

In the academic realm, his research and teaching center around contemporary music and music theatre. Since 2022, he has been a fellow at the International Research Center for Cultural Studies in Vienna. This fellowship has also taken him to the Humboldt University in Berlin. Karl has previously taught at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and currently teaches at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.

Karl served as the assistant to composer Beat Furrer, director and conductor of the Neue Oper Wien Walter Kobéra, and arts manager Peter Oswald. At the record label KAIROS, he was COO and curator. As a dramaturg for music theatre and contemporary music, he has contributed to various projects. In 2024, he was a guest dramaturg at the Landestheater Tirol Innsbruck. He co-founded the vocal ensemble Cantando Admont, where he also acts as dramaturg. He is currently based in Vienna and Berlin.