Der Wahlbremer Christian Heim (Viola da Gamba/Blockflöte/Violone) wuchs im Salzburger Pinzgau auf, wo er umgeben von uraltem Brauchtum schon bald eine Faszination dafür entwickelte, wie die Menschen früher gelebt haben. Die Beschäftigung mit Alter Musik ist letztlich eine Konsequenz daraus: er studierte Blockflöte, Violoncello und Instrumentalpädagogik am Mozarteum Salzburg und Viola da Gamba an der Hochschule für Künste in Bremen. Seitdem erstreckt sich seine künstlerische Tätigkeit auf alle Instrumente der Blockflöten- und Gambenfamilie und somit Solo-, Kammermusik- und Orchesterprojekte. Seine Vielseitigkeit wird auch in der Zusammenarbeit mit renommierten Leitern und Ensembles geschätzt, was durch zahlreiche CD-Produktionen dokumentiert ist. Seine Herzensprojekte erfüllt Christian Heim mit dem von ihm mitgegründeten Ensemble LA NINFEA, doch die Anregungen durch und der Austausch mit anderen Besetzungen sind eine willkommene Bereicherung seines Musikerdaseins.
Fotos: Elisa Meyer
Christian Heim (viola da gamba/violone/recorder) lives in Bremen, Germany, but grew up in Pinzgau, Austria. Surrounded by ancient traditions, he soon developed a fascination for historical life, which in turn sparked his interest in early music. He went on to study recorder and cello at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and viola da gamba at the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen.
Since then, his instrumental repertoire has grown to include every instrument in the recorder and viol family, and he performs as a solo artist as well as in chamber music and orchestra projects. His versatility makes him a well-appreciated partner in cooperations with various ensembles and conductors, with whom he has performed on more than 30 CDs. He performs regularly with Ensemble Weser-Renaissance (Manfred Cordes), Sirius Viols (Hille Perl) and la festa musicale (Anne-Marie Harer) and is a frequent guest with Teatro del mondo (Andreas Küppers), Capella de la Torre (Katharina Bäuml), Ensemble Art d'Echo (Juliane Laake), Gaechinger Cantorey (Hans-Christoph Rademann), Ensemble Schirokko (Rachel Harris), Das Kleine Konzert (Hermann Max) and the RIAS Kammerchor. He has performed in opera productions under the direction of Andrea Marcon (Frankfurt) and Václav Luks (Kiel) as well as in Mexico with Los Temperamentos. His solo programs, in which he often plays both recorder and viola da gamba, show his skills on multiple instruments. His interest in new music and enthusiasm for dialogue with living composers has led to appearances in various world premiere performances.
As one of the founders of Ensemble La Ninfea, he is able to create unique programs for which he often does extensive research, writes arrangements and serves as artistic and musical director. He is also passionate about teaching music and passing his vast knowledge about historical instruments, the art of making music and music of different epochs on to his students.
