Volker Bertelmann (Hauschka)

Hauschka

Showreels

Hauschka's Home Studio

Tom Hardy For Jo Malone London Placement

Biography

The impressive creative career of Volker Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) started when his piano teacher told him at the age of 14 that there was nothing more he could teach his student – after only five years of lessons. It is difficult to describe what Bertelmann can get out of his ‘prepared piano’ – one has to hear it to understand it.

Exploring the possibilities of the piano eventually brought Bertelmann to alter the sounds of his piano by attaching various materials such as pieces of paper, marbles, drumsticks and others to its strings in order to create non-piano-like sounds. He released a number of solo and collaboration albums, the latest being Abandoned City (2014). It received outstanding reviews, but Bertelmann was ready for new challenges and accepted a position as Composer in Residence for the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk orchestra in Leipzig.

The composer also has a prolific side line writing scores for films, having contributed to the soundtracks of Craig Macneill’s The Boy (2015), Karim Ainouz’ Praia du Futuro (2014) and Yael Reuveny’s Farewell, Herr Scharz (2015). Showing no signs of slowing down, the father of three continues to compose, score and tour, spreading his musical visions.

In 2017, Bertelmann and Dustin O’Halloran created the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated score for the internationally acclaimed feature film Lion. His current projects include further feature films 1000 Arten, Hotel Mumbai and The Current War, a new collaboration with O’Halloran. He is also working on the scores for the TV series' Gunpowder, a BBC production starring Kit Harrington and Liv Tyler, and the Benedict Cumberbatch programme Melrose, which will be broadcast on Sky.

Always unpredictable, Bertelmann continues to offer only one certainty: that the next step he takes will be as unexpected as the direction from which he has come.

Placements

News

  • Hauschka plays a Tiny Desk Concert

    Hauschka plays a Tiny Desk Concert

    16th April 2024

    Renowned for his unconventional piano performances, Hauschka returns to NPR's Tiny Desk with his ingenuity on display. Transitioning from the grand piano to a smaller upright, he showcases his adaptability and versatility in a less controlled setting.

  •  Volker Bertelmann wins Oscar for best film score

    Volker Bertelmann wins Oscar for best film score

    14th March 2023

    The adaptation of the novel "All Quiet On The Western Front" won a total of four Oscars at the Academy Awards on Sunday night - including composer Volker Bertelmann: he won the Oscar for Best Film Score.

  • Congratulations on the Oscar nomination, Volker Bertelmann!

    Congratulations on the Oscar nomination, Volker Bertelmann!

    27th January 2023

    After being nominated for various important awards, including the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), our composer Volker Bertelmann (Hauschka) is also in the running for the coveted Oscars in the "Best Original Score" category.

  • Music Sales Represented at BAFTA TV Awards

    Music Sales Represented at BAFTA TV Awards

    3rd April 2019

    Congrats to Volker Bertelmann! His score for the Sky Atlantic / Showcase series Patrick Melrose has been nominated for Best Original Music for this year's BAFTA TV Awards. Additionally, Anne Nikitin composed the original music for Mrs...

  • Hauschka Releases A Different Forest

    Hauschka Releases A Different Forest

    4th February 2019

    On February 8th, Oscar-nominated film composer and renowned pianist Hauschka (Volker Bertelmann) releases his latest album A Different Forest via Sony Classical. The album is his first for the label and sees him strip away his customary...