“Simplicity is the final achievement.”
Constantly striving to learn from more advanced artists, past and present, Thilo made the search for simplicity the focal point of his musical activities. His language in playing and writing originates from an upbringing in a protestant, classical-romantic music household, however his own work revolves around jazz, free improvisation and elements drawn from electronic sound art. Expressivity, a predilection for meaningful motives and a persistence in developing each musical cell to its full potential characterise his playing. Mainly at home at the piano, Thilo has explored contemporary sound art, european sacred and secular music as well as latin-american folclore. Experimenting with all kinds of instruments as well as being an in-tune singer, he draws from a broad palette of influences to enrich his musical expression across instruments, languages and styles.
Around his 5th anniversary, Thilo formally started taking piano lessons, already being very busy banging on everything that would produce a sound. In his teens, the Accordion, French horn and Choir complemented his mostly classical education. Although Thilo displayed some talent performing as a soloist and was awarded 1st prizes at multiple international competitions (Steinway comp. / Germany, Bach comp. / Estonia, Neuhaus comp. / Ukraine), playing music by ear and interacting in a group context always showed to be more appealing to him. Closing in on his school career, having had the chance to partake in the Rotary cultural exchange program and reside in Brazil for one year, the decision grew in him to devote himself to improvised music and study piano at the jazz institute in Graz. Nurturing a parallel interest, he explored other means of improvisation exploring the protestant church music tradition during extended stays in Gothenburg and Berlin. Today Thilo has returned to his base in sun-blessed Graz and continues to weave his diverse influences into genre-defying contemporary instrumental music.