Kai Schumacher delights in pushing the boundaries between classical and popular music. Boasting an impressive musical pedigree, his solo performances are acts of pure musical and stylistic alchemy, serving up heady mixes of Dadaism and Dancefloor, Avantgarde and Pop culture.
Enjoy Kai’s track ‘The Hug’ (reworked by Illuminine) via the beautiful music video below!

When did you start playing the piano and why?

My parents had a piano in our living room, so when I was like five years old I started to use the instrument as a big toy that was able to produce funny sounds when pressing some random keys. After a short while I tried to replay some melodies I’d heard on TV or radio which was the point my parents thought it could be useful to take some lessons.

What is your favourite piece of music for the piano?

That’s hard to say, because my musical interests range from the classical music of the 18th century to some weird contemporary avantgarde stuff. And beyond my personal taste, which is always dependent on my current mood, there are also a lot of pieces I admire just because of their compositional finesse. But if I had to choose one piece I would say it is “The people united will never be defeated” by Frederic Rzewski. This piece combines political attitude with pianistic mastership to create an amazing tour de force across all genres. I think this is a masterwork close to perfection.

Describe your own music in 3 words.

Hard. To. Describe.

Tell us your first memory of London.

My first memory goes back to my teenage years when London was my place of desire: as I tried to be a punk rocker in a sleepy german town I’ve always been jealous for not growing up in this city in the late 1970s.

What is one piece of classical music you couldn’t live without?

The last movement of Shostakovich’s second piano trio!

‘The Hug’, out now via Neue Meister.

Catch up with the stunning Kai Schumacher’s 360° audio-visual performances in the biggest planetariums Germany wide:
07/12/18 Berlin (D), Zeiss-Großplanetarium
24/01/18 Duisburg (D), Die Säule
17/02/18 Bochum (D), Zeiss-Planetarium
23/02/18 Nürnberg (D), Nicolaus-Copernicus-Planetarium
02/03/18 Jena (D), Zeiss-Planetarium