a romantic in new york. friedrich heinrich kern is a romantic wanderer crossing borders of genres and sounds. he performs on rusty pianos in dusty clubs and shines with otherworldly tones at the metropolitan opera. one of the few professional glass harmonica soloists worldwide, friedrich began his musical journey with the piano and began composing at an early age.
He then ventured to Korea to study traditional music, and has since found a home in New York City. The mystique of New York City’s late-night urban soundscape provides the inspiration for his vision. Here, boundaries of classical music and pop aesthetics blur. Grand pianos and digital devices are juxtaposed with deconstructed beat patterns and the ethereal sounds of his glass harmonica. Friedrich’s music captures a dimension of stillness and clarity of sound, a quality it shares with artists like Chilly Gonzalez, Nils Frahm, and Max Richter. Conventional methods of instrumentation and a classical education comprise his compositional tool kit. He moves freely between the worlds of electronic and acoustic music, unwilling to accept musical boundaries, languages, and any barriers between them.
He has composed works for acoustic and electronic instrumentations in addition to his solo and ensemble performances, ranging from solo piano to full orchestra. Musical connections shape his ideas. His latest collaborations are ‘Goldberg Reflections’ with Niklas Liepe (Sony Classical) and his performances with German glass music ensemble sinfonia di vetro. Friedrich’s album debut is scheduled for 2023 and will be released on the M=Maximal label.