I had just finished high school when I first discovered the fascinating art of glass music. Having occasionally heard some of Bruno Hoffman’s recordings on the radio, I was simply struck  by a sound I had never heard before. Curious as I am, I fetched some of my father’s best glasses and tried to make them sing, and decided right then to learn to play Mozart.

I soon developed a good technique in producing the crystal sound, but it took me years to design an instrument that could play the complex pieces of classical glass music. Finally, I constructed a set of 50 musical glasses, which I bought from various stores (where the staff always wondered why I so eagerly searched for a special tone).  I tuned them by adding water drop by drop, just as Pockrich did 250 years before. Of course, the instrument was not at all professional, but audiences were enthusiastic whenever I performed.

Everything changed when, through a newspaper article my grandmother sent me, I learned about and contacted another glass musician living near Munich. Together we planned a glass harp that exactly fit my needs, for I had grown accustomed to a very special arrangement of the glasses. Then, permanently tuned glasses were blown by the famous Bavarian glassmaker Eisch and mounted on a wooden frame. I also acquired a verrophone, a new glass instrument also designed by Sascha Reckert from Munich.

Between these two instruments I am now able to play nearly everything that is demanded in glass music. From Mozart’s great works such as the K617 quintet to Tomasek’s delicate "Fantasia"; from modern pieces like Schnaubelt’s "Elegy and Caprice" to the charming sound of well-known melodies played on the glasses, I offer a wide range of glass music for a wide range of places and audiences. Several pieces written for my instrument have had their very first performances in my concerts.

Reviews focussed on the sparkling, magical sound of the glasses as well as the amazing variability in speed, articulation, dynamics that these instruments offer to the musician. -

As far as I know, I am the only glass musician in Europe to perform the great classical works solo on fixed glasses. But there are others who also bring back the art of glass music to people; some play the old pieces splitting up the voices to two or more instruments, some concentrate on modern music or improvisations. All of us are united in our aim to let people know about glass music and enjoy the incomparable sounds. And many of us are literally united in GMI, the Glass Music International Inc., which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1997. Recently, we came together for the Year 2000 Glass Music Festival in Philadelphia, PA.

Maybe you are now a little curios about the sound of the glasses? Well then, that's just why I put up these pages. Have a look at the sound samples that might give you a first impression. Or try to visit the recitals of glass musicians all around the world - nothing can exceed a "live" experience. If it happens to be one of my own concerts, I will be glad to meet you! And of course, it is possible to contact me via e-mail - you can be sure of an answer.