Hermann-Lietz School - Haubinda
Westville Girl's High School, Durban, South Africa
Phorms Süd
Living What I Teach - My Performance Journey
Living What I Teach
I have always believed that music teaching is not just about theory, but about living the experience of performance. Many teachers come straight out of university and step into the classroom without ever standing on a stage themselves. But how can you inspire students to perform with passion and confidence if you have never felt the excitement, pressure, and energy of an audience? My career has taken me from church organs and concert halls to jazz clubs, stadiums, and township festivals. I have shared the stage with renowned artists, directed musicals, performed in international jazz clubs, and even played for presidents and world leaders. These experiences shape my teaching every day: I know the challenges, the risks, and the rewards of performing — and I bring that knowledge into the classroom. For me, teaching music means mentoring students to step on stage, overcome fear, and discover the joy of performance.
You can explore selected performances on my Video Channel.
Classical & Church Music
My performance journey began in classical music. I started piano lessons at the age of five, and by thirteen I became the organist at St. Martin Catholic Church in Illertissen, where I played for services, weddings, and funerals. This early responsibility gave me both discipline and stage confidence and remained a formative part of my youth, as confirmed in parish records.
During my studies at the Mozarteum Salzburg, I attended the International Summer Academy from 1978 to 1981, participating in the masterclasses of Professors Winfried Wolf and Sergio Perticaroli. These highly selective courses admitted only the most promising young pianists, with the best invited to perform for the Salzburg Festival public. I had the opportunity to appear several times in the Wiener Saal, performing works by Liszt, Chopin, and Casella, including Chopin’s Etudes and Casella’s Toccata. These concerts, documented in official programs, were milestones that confirmed my early standing as a developing artist.
Alongside these performances, I also sang and accompanied choirs, and for a short time worked with an African choir in Soweto during a competition — an unforgettable cross-cultural exchange that broadened my perspective as a musician.
Even though my career later expanded into jazz, pop, and musical theatre, the precision and discipline of these early years have always remained my foundation. To this day, I continue to practice and perform classical repertoire, keeping this tradition alive and bringing its depth and rigor into my teaching and ensemble work.
Jazz & Improvisation
Jazz has always been a space for me to explore freedom, creativity, and collaboration. Growing up, I was surrounded mainly by classical music, pop, and blues, and only discovered jazz as a student in Salzburg. A friend introduced me to the Real Book and invited me to a jam session — my first glimpse into the language of jazz. Soon after, I was on stage at the renowned Podium Jazz Club in Salzburg, where international musicians gathered. The saxophonist Alan Praskin called me up to play, and when I stumbled, he challenged me in front of the audience. It was a hard lesson, but it pushed me to dive deeper into chord progressions, scales, and the structure of jazz. Within months I was back on stage, more prepared, and over the years Alan and I remained in touch as friends. That early experience taught me something I also bring into the classroom: learning often comes through mistakes, and resilience is part of becoming a musician.
A common misconception is that jazz is simply about reproducing old styles. In reality, jazz means stepping on stage with musicians you may never have met before, sharing a common ground in the standard repertoire, and within the roadmap of chords, key, and melody, creating something entirely new in the moment. This is very different from a cover band, where the audience expects the original sound to be recreated faithfully. In jazz, creativity, dialogue, and risk are at the essence of the music.
Later, I recorded Jazz Over Christmas with Thorsten Thonhauser, Hans Baltin, and Mark Wood, blending tradition with improvisation. In South Africa, I performed with guitarist Jimmy Dludlu, drummer Vusi Khumalo, bassist Victor Masondo, and shared stages with greats such as Johnny Fourie, Kippie Moeketsi, Bakithi Kumalo, Natalia da Rocha, and Marah Louw. Abroad, I played in Shanghai at the House of Blues and Jazz, and continued collaborations in Germany with artists like Alan Praskin, Peter Inagawa, and Klaus Kircher.
In the classroom, students must first pass through the reproduction stage — learning pieces accurately and developing technique. But jazz opens the door for them to unfold their own creativity. My role as a teacher is to provide the tools — scales, chord structures, rhythms, and listening skills — but nothing can replace the discipline of practice.
Rock, Pop & Bands
Beyond classical and jazz, I have always embraced the energy of rock and pop. In South Africa I performed with the Afro Pop duo Marc & Alex, sharing the stage at Ellis Park Stadium with legends like Johnny Clegg and Brenda Fassie, and recording at the SABC studios with artists such as Natalia da Rocha and Kurt Egelhof. I also played in townships, once at a packed open-air festival in KwaZulu-Natal where the main act failed to appear — an unforgettable and intense night of music and survival. With my wife Felicity as vocalist, I formed the R&B band Connection 5, performing classics from I Will Survive to Smooth Operator. I also played keyboard in the jazz-funk group Think Pink with Salzburg saxophonist Ulrich Barth. These experiences gave me a deep respect for the power of popular music to connect with audiences across cultures and generations.
Theatre & Musicals
Theatre work has been one of the most rewarding parts of my performance life. In South Africa I played in the orchestra pit for the Snow White pantomime and collaborated on Cotton Club with Natalia da Rocha and Kurt Egelhof, blending live music with stage drama. Later, as director and accompanist, I helped stage numerous school musicals and concerts, often uniting students across music, drama, and visual arts. One of my proudest achievements was co-directing Godspell in Shanghai — a large-scale production where music, theatre, and art students came together to create something unforgettable. Working in theatre taught me how to bring different disciplines together, manage the complexities of live performance, and inspire both students and professionals to achieve something greater than themselves.
Special Performances & Highlights
Over the years I have been fortunate to experience some extraordinary moments on stage. With my band, I performed for Nelson Mandela, a memory that will stay with me forever. At the Zimbali Lodge in South Africa, I worked as a pianist and once played for Jacob Zuma — a night I accepted as part of the job, even if not one of my proudest associations. In Salzburg, I was called last minute to accompany American crooner Al Martino and his big band when their pianist failed to appear. I have also performed as a bar pianist in exclusive venues such as Tegernsee (Rottach-Egern) and regularly with my wife Felicity as a vocalist. Each of these performances — from intimate settings to grand stages — has reminded me of music’s power to connect, uplift, and leave lasting memories.
Why This Matters for Teaching
My performing career is not separate from my teaching — it is the foundation of it. Every rehearsal, concert, and stage experience has given me insights that I pass on to my students. I know what it feels like to face an audience, to manage nerves, to collaborate in an ensemble, and to carry the responsibility of leading others in performance. These are not lessons that can be learned from a textbook alone.
Many music teachers enter the classroom directly from university, but I believe that to truly inspire students, you must have lived the experience of performance. Standing on stage has taught me resilience, creativity, adaptability, and above all, the joy of sharing music. In my classroom, I don’t just teach notes and rhythms — I mentor young musicians to step on stage with confidence, to support each other like bandmates, and to discover that performing can be one of the most powerful and life-changing experiences in their education.