Martin Kohlstedt

A sound poet who weaves layer upon layer and reshapes his pieces in the moment - with modular compositions and virtuoso playing, he creates live rituals between contemplation and frenzy.

Martin Kohlstedt is one of the leading composers, pianists, and producers in the fields of modern classical, instrumental music, and electronica. His music has garnered international acclaim, and he tours the world giving concerts.

Both in live performances and on his recordings, Kohlstedt sets the standard for how cutting-edge electronica can blend with analog and acoustic elements drawn from classical piano, ambient music, field recordings, and score design. Kohlstedt intuitively finds a common form for influences from such diverse worlds and uses them to create a vibrant whole—whether as a spectacular festival show, an introspective piano concert, a multidimensional film soundtrack, or an immersive album experience.

Kohlstedt describes his way of working as modular composition. The pieces are constantly in flux and do not follow a fixed form, even in concert. Improvisation is an essential part of the creative process, as is the courage to fail, the act of searching, and the interaction with context, space, and people.

Martin Kohlstedt has already collaborated with renowned partners such as the Leipzig Gewandhaus Choir, artists including Ben Böhmer, Douglas Dare, Sudan Archives, and Henrik Schwarz, as well as labels such as Warner Classics. 

Martin Kohlstedt has performed concerts in over 30 countries, including on Europe’s most prestigious stages and at its most renowned festivals. In addition to his own compositions, Kohlstedt writes soundtracks for films, plays, podcasts, and radio dramas. Through Edition Kohlstedt, he runs his own label and fulfills his responsibility as an artist through his own reforestation project. Martin Kohlstedt lives and works in Weimar.

Current album: “Live” (2024), Edition Kohlstedt