about

Vlatko Kučan is a musician (instruments: saxophones and clarinets), improvisor, composer, producer, curator and researcher/ educator.
Born 1963 in Sarajevo, Ex-Yugoslavia, formal studies of popular music, jazz and music therapy at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg.

His various works focus and explore the possibilities of artistic expression through the art of improvisation. They cross and extend traditional boundaries of contemporary music, jazz, improvised music, dance, theatre and film music. Another focus of Kučan’s work is the combination of literature, philosophy and music. He also works as a director for radio plays and audio books.
He performed and collaborated with leading protagonists of contemporary jazz (i.e. Carla Bley, Lester Bowie, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Bill Elgart, Dieter Glawischnig, Howard Johnson, Jay Oliver, Barre Philips, Tomasz Stanko, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wollesen) and improvised music (i.e. Derek Bailey, Malcolm Goldstein, Barry Guy, Aleksander Kolkowski, Jim Menesses, Rajesh Mehta, Lauren Newton, Maggie Nichols, Mia Zabelka).

His theatre collaborations include directors Karin Beier, Michael Bogdanov, Herbert Fritsch, Brian Michaels, Robert Wilson and musicians Tom Waits, Lester Bowie and Giora Feidman.

His works on literature and music include productions based on texts by Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Charles Baudelaire, Anne Sexton and Mascha Kaleko and collaborations with numerous actors (i.e. Christian Brückner, Hannelore Elsner, Corinna Harfouch, Susanne Lothar, Dietmar Mues, Barbara Nüsse, Christian Redl, Lars Rudolph, Hanna Schygulla, Otto Sander, Ulrich Tukur, Ulrich Wildgruber) and authors (i.e. Peter Handke, Siri Hustvedt, Hellmuth Karasek, Siegfried Lenz, Benjamin Lebert, Helmut Schmidt).

academic work & teaching

Vlatko Kučan is the head of SPIIC+ (Social Performance, Interdisciplinary Improvisation & Creativity) at ligeti center / artistic research lab. in Hamburg, Germany. He is also teaching Improvisation at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater (HfMT) in Hamburg, Germany at the Jazz department BA/ MA programs, the Multimedia-Composition MA program and the international Contemporary Performance and Composition (CoPeCo) MA program. He has been a visiting artist and lecturer and has held workshops on Improvisation at international academic institutions. In his private teaching he has developed a unique concept of combining Improvisation training with psychoanalytical approaches derived from music therapy to help his students to develop and achieve their creative visions and to understand and overcome personal obstructions. 

impromptu.works

From 2015 - 2017 Vlatko Kučan has been curating the concert series SoloSoloDuo-Impromptu with over sixty concerts during that time period. Since December 2017 he is curating the series THE ART OF IMPROVISATION with two big festival concert evenings per year that feature international guests together with the IMPROMPTU.WORKS ENSEMBLE - a group of young musicians from different countries under Kučan’s leadership. All these concerts initiate and stage collaborations between musicians and artists from different musical and artistic backgrounds - such as new jazz, contemporary music and improvised music, dance, theatre - based on improvisation. The goal of these concerts is to explore new ways of trans-disciplinary collaboration and to promote the discourse on improvisation as an artistic practice as well as in its social and political aspects and implications.  -> more

media

 -> coming soon

performances & events 2024

December 21 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
December 01 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
November 27 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
November 06 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
October 21 to November 03 - SPIIC+ research week Comprovisation & Technology - ligeti center/ Hamburg
October 25/26 - Improvisation Round Table - artistic research - conference/ performance - ligeti center/ Hamburg -> link
October 14 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
October 10 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
October 03 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
September 27 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
September 22 - Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti - theater performance/ opening night - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
July 05 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / Ensemble night - Jazz Hall/ HfMT Hamburg
June 14 - HEALING SOUNDSCAPES - SPIIC+/ CoPeCo Ensemble recording session - Ligeti Zentrum Hamburg
May 31 - KLAUS ELLE’S ERKENNTNISLABOR - Exhibition Opening with SPIIC+ Ensemble - Stiftung F.C. Gundlach - Jupiter, Hamburg -> link
May 20 - MUSIC & DANCE / Taiko Saito (vib), Mizuki Wildenhahn (perc.dance), Björn Lücker (drums), Vlatko Kucan (sax, cl), Atelier Gausz/ Hamburg
May 17 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION/ TAOI 24-I - concert / Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura with impromptu.works Ensemble -> link
May 16 - SILENT MUSIC No2 feat. Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura - RHD11, Hamburg
May 15/16 - SPIIC+ Workshop Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura (JP) - Multifunktionsstudio/ HfMT Hamburg -> link
February 29 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / Ensemble night - Jazz Hall/ HfMT Hamburg
February 25 - SILENT MUSIC No1 feat. Elena Khurgina - concert - RHD11, Hamburg

performances & events 2023

December 02 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION/ TAOI 23-II - Maya Homburger (CH) & Barry Guy (UK) & impromptu.works ensemble - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli -> link
November 30 - SPIIC+ Lecture Concert No.16 feat. Maya Homburger (CH) & Barry Guy (UK) - Workshop-Konzert - Multifunktionsstudio/ HfMT Hamburg
November 22 - Aktionstag Nähe und Distanz: Grenzen setzen und Gestalten in Hochschule und Beruf - Musikalische Interventionen SPIIC+ Ensemble - HfMT, Campus Barmbek
November 09 - Hörwerk-Kunstwerk: in Kooperation mit d. Franz Wirth Gedächtnis-Stiftung - Martin Zamorano & SPIIC+ Ensemble - Hamburger Kunsthalle
October 21 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION/ TAOI 23-I - TAI No-Orchestra (Milan) meets impromptu.works ensemble - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli -> link
October 20 - SPIIC+ Lecture Concert No.15 feat. TAI No-Orchestra (IT) - Multifunktionsstudio/ HfMT Hamburg
October 02 - to-gether-ness: Eine musikalische Exploration in drei Teilen - SPIIC+ Ensemble - St.Jacobi Kirche
July 06 - Angewandte Entwicklungsmethodik in der Mechatronik - SPIIC+ Ensemble meets TU Hamburg/ Harburg - Ligeti Zentrum Hamburg
June 11 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / Ensemble night - Jazz Hall/ HfMT Hamburg
June 11 - Neuland betreten! Film, Musik und Wort - SPIIC Ensemble meets HCU - Hamburger Architektursommer 23 - Ligeti Zentrum Hamburg -> link
June 10 - Laudatio for D.A. Dhonau - Hamburger Jazzpreis, ElbJazz Festival
May 27/28 - Duo Vlatko Kucan / Dirk Achim Dhonau - Kunstverein Norden
May 16 - SPIIC Lecture Concert No.14 feat. Peter Evans (USA) feat. Mark Nauseef, Adam Linson, Vlatko Kučan - Jazz Hall/ HfMT Hamburg -> link
May 12 - SPIIC Lecture Concert No.13 feat. Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura (JP) + Mizuki Wildenhahn, Björn Lücker, Vlatko Kučan - Multifunktionsstudio/ HfMT Hamburg -> link
May 04 - SPIIC Ensemble meets Lukas Ligeti - concert - Jazz Hall/ HfMT Hamburg -> link
May 03 - SPEECHLESS - a wordless Opera by Cat Hope - Forum/ HfMT Hamburg -> link
March 02 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / Ensemble night - Jazz Hall/ HfMT Hamburg
February 28 - in memory of Johannes Wöhrmann - concert - Jazz Hall/ HfMT Hamburg

performances & events 2022

December 10 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION/ TAOI 22-II - festival concert evening SOUND, DANCE, WORDS, SILK - Resonanzraum St. Pauli, Hamburg -> link
December 7-9 - SPIIC special event with Lauren Newton, Koho Mori Newton, Emmanuelle Pepin, Inez Peres Wilke - HfMT Multifunktionsstudio, Hamburg
October 30 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION/ TAOI 22-I - festival concert evening SOUND PAINTING - Resonanzraum St. Pauli, Hamburg -> link
September 01-03 - Concepts of Improvisation - masterclass / workshop - Music Academy of Rovigo (IT)
August 26-28 - CEPI meeting - Esino Lario (IT)
July 09 - SPIIC Ensemble meets Elektronizza & dancers - concert - Nice (FR)
July 06-08 - SPIIC Ensemble - Web Audio Conference - concerts - Cannes (FR)
July 04 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Elke Schipper, Michael Griener, Patrick Crossland - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
June 17 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Nguyễn Thanh Thủy und Stefan Östersjö - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
June 10 - New Jazz Festival w. Heinz Erich Gödecke, Willi Kellers, John Hughes, Björn Lücker, Akira Ando - concert - Burg Klempenow, Mecklenburg
June 07 - COPECO meets SPIIC - Concert - Blurred Edges Festival - HfMT Multifunktionsstudio, Hamburg
May 19 - HOOU@Tag der Hamburg Open Online University - presentation 'Improvisation - an introduction to its theory and practice' - HfBK, Hamburg
May 11- Ivanov - theatre performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg (canceled)
April 22 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
March 17 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
March 07 - Duo with Mark Nauseef - #StandWithUkraine - Die Zeit & Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
January - March - Exploring online improvisation strategies - GVL Stipendium
January 16 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg (canceled)

performances & events 2021

November 29 - Duo Recording w. Barre Phillips - La Buisonne Studio - Pernes-les-Fontaines (FR)
November 19/20 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION - Young European Improvisors Festival - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli
November 05-07 - SPIIC meets Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - concerts, talks - Hamburg, HfMT Jazz-Hall
September 10 - Tempesta Festival / Trio w. Gabriele Mitelli, Davide Rossato - Noale/ Venice (IT)
August 26-28 - CEPI Meeting - Valcivéres (FR) 
July 27 - Jury member for composition competition / Jazz Sampler / Jazz Büro Hamburg
June 06 - BLU - Hanna Mittelstädt / Vlatko Kučan - reading & concert - LIT Literaturhaus Hamburg
May 20 - 'Improvisation - an introduction to its theory and practice' - online course - Hamburg Open Online University/ HOOU -> link
May 11-13 - SPIIC Ensemble Performance @ TENOR Conference - Hamburg / live stream
April 08 - ’Improvisation and the the inner walls of ego’ - article for PaaLabRes 3rd edition ‘Break Down The Walls’ - article -> link
February 04 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Harald Kisiedu - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater/ live stream, Hamburg -> link

performances & events 2020

December 17 - Sounds of the Pandemic/ international online conference / Universita Firenze (IT) - presentation of DoaQ -> link
December 12 - 'DoaQ: Collective Online Improvisation During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic’ - Improfil / Theorie und Praxis improvisierter Musik; No. 83  - article
December 06 - Ivanov - theater performance/ live stream - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
December 03/10/17 - SPIIC Lecture Concert Part I-III feat. Jean Charles François - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater/ live stream, Hamburg -> link
November 26 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. William Brunson - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater/ live stream, Hamburg -> link
November 24 - Symposium Dantemus - Jean Charles François / Vlatko Kučan - ‘no tech -> echo -> ecotone <- octet <- techno’ / lecture performance - Université Nice (FR) - live stream
November 24 - Symposium Dantemus - DIALOGUE DES ARTS, NOUVELLES TECHNOLOGIES, MUSIQUE, SCENE - SPIIC & Dreaming Fields Of Action - Université Nice (FR) - live stream
November 20 - Cataclisma Improvisation Festival - Interview/ Podcast -> link
November 19 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. György Kurtag Jr. - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater/ live stream, Hamburg -> link
November 15 - Ivanov - theater performance/ live stream - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg 
November 03 - Ready for Future - Night Session zur US Wahlnacht - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg (canceled)
October 23 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
September 05 - Barre Phillips’ European Improvisation Center / CEPI - online streaming meeting & festival
June 2020 - DoaQ project - website release - supportet by Online Musicking Call / VAMH Hamburg - website -> link
June 07 - The Looms Groom / Vincent Dombrowski - live stream concert - Jazz Federation Hamburg
April 05 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link (canceled)
March 01 - May 06 - DoaQ (Diaries of a Quarantine) - online improvisation series with M. Bussi / P. Frigato / G. Gianni / D. Savio
March 21-23 - Trio Vlatko Kučan / Tommaso Rolando / Davide Rossato - concerts -Venice & Genova (IT) (canceled)
March 26-28 - Concepts of Improvisation - workshop - Conservatorio Vivaldi, Alessandria (IT) (canceled)
March 03 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
March 01 - Sandro Saez-Eggers/ Vlatko Kučan Duo- concert - Hamburg, Alte Druckerei
February 14 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
February 01/06/23/26 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
January 30 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Jean Charles François - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
January 20/24 - Ivanov - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
January 22 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
January 18 - Ivanov - opening night / theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
January 17 - SPIIC@Tag der Innovativen Hochschule - presentation and concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg

performances & events 2019

December 19 - CD release - The Cepi Nomads + Hic / Cepi meets Hic -> link
December 01/15 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
December 12 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Ellery Eskelin Trio - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
December 08 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION - festival concert evening - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli 
October 20 - Anne Sexton „Ich bin wie ein lebender Stein“ HÖRSPIEL NDR Info mit Corinna Harfouch und Stephan Beson -> link
October 18/19 - SPIIC meets SEIDENSTRASSE - festival - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli -> tba
October 03 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
September 20 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
September 06-08 - CEPI Conference - Valcivéres (FR) -> link
August 31 - SPIIC Ensemble HÄCKS ON THE BEACH (Hackathon) Digital Science Night - Ponton/Entenwerder, Hamburg -> link
August 24 - SPIIC Ensemble HOLLYWELL C.N. (Nocturne) - Park/ City Nord -> link
August 20-23 - SPIIC Ensemble at Bauforum ‘Magistralen’ - Hamburg -> tba
July 27 - Ensemble Renée Baker - Paris (FR), Bab•ilo -> link
July 26 - Leila Soldevila, Michéle Vèronique, Vlatko Kučan - Paris (FR), Berkley Books of Paris
July 19 - SPIIC Ensemble ROOT SEEDS Sustainability-Art-Technology Event - Gählerhaus, Hamburg
June 29 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION - festival concert evening - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli -> link 
June 28 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Rajesh K. Mehta - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
June 01 - SPIIC impromptu.works ensemble - concert - ElbJazz Festival Hamburg
May 19 - Gesprächskonzert - concert & talk - ort/ Peter Kowald Gesellschaft, Wuppertal 
May 08-10 - Concepts of Improvisation - masterclass / workshop - Music Academy of Rovigo (IT)
April 05 - Grosser Improvisationsabend feat. Fred Frith, Tonart Ensemble, SPIIC Ensemble - concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
April 04 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Fred Frith - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
March 24 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg 
February 21 - Barre Phillips & CEPI Ensemble, RECONTRE II  - concert - Centro di Ricerca Musicale, Bologna (IT)
February 20 - Barre Phillips & CEPI Ensemble  - concert - Casa dell Musica, Parma (IT)
February 18 - Barre Phillips & CEPI Ensemble, HIC Ensemble - concert - Teatro della Tosse, Genova (IT)
February 13 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / HfMT ensemble night - Hamburg, Theater im Zimmer 
January 06/07 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg

performances & events 2018

December 16 - EMIR meets Berlin friends - concert - Berlin, Exploratorium -> link
November 24/25 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Ludwigshafen, Theater am Pfalzbau -> link 
December 01 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION - festival concert evening - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli -> link 
November 29 - SPIIC Lecture Concert feat. Lauren Newton - lecture concert - Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg
October 13 - Improvisationen 184: Irmer / Kucan / Meinberg / Hammerschmidt - MIB Bremen -> link
September 15 - Cataclisma Improvisation Piccolo Festival - Salvaterra (IT) -> link
September (13-14) - Concepts of Improvisation - workshop - Music Academy of Rovigo (IT) 
September 07-09  - Barre Phillips’ European Improvisation Center: Euro Encounter #3 - meeting - Puget Ville (FR)  -> link
September 07-09 - Film Premiere VORN - film music - Hamburg, #INDIEMAGDAY 
July 04 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / HfMT ensemble night - Hamburg, Theater im Zimmer
July 02 - BROMAN, VESTERBERG + KUČAN - MA concert - Hamburg, Theater im Zimmer
June 24 - THE ART OF IMPROVISATION - festival concert evening - Hamburg, Resonanzraum St. Pauli -> link 
June 04 - AHMAD, EISENBREY, GRIENER, KUČAN, MEYER - concert - Hamburg, Hafenbahnhof  -> link 
May 18 - HCL-ENSEMBLE featuring VLATKO KUČAN - concert - Oldenburg, Wilhelm 13
May 14 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / HfMT ensemble night - Hamburg, Theater im Zimmer
April 12/17 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
March 02/11/21 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
February 23/25/28 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
February 14 - ENSEMBLE FREE IMPROVISATION - concert / HfMT ensemble night - Hamburg, Theater im Zimmer 
February 03 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg 
January 27/31 - Der Kaufman von Venedig - opening night / theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg -> link
January 24 - VESTERBERG, STACKENÄS, KUČAN, BROMAN - concert - Hamburg, FatJazz
January 22 - VESTERBERG, STACKENÄS, KUČAN, BROMAN - concert - Hamburg, Hafenbahnhof
January 03 - Valentin - theater performance - Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg  -> link

contact / impressum / privacy policy

• private: vk@vlatkokucan.de
• academic: vlatko.kucan@hfmt-hamburg.de
• impressum -> 
• datenschutzerklärung / privacy policy->