"Udo Schindler is a German improvisation musicians (bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, saxophone, flute, cornet, also accordion, guitar, percussion, analog synthesizer) and architect. Schindler was active in the 1970s in Franconia first as rock and rock jazz musician before he had flute lessons at the conservatory Nuremberg. Subsequently, he studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich and worked as an architect. In the 1990s he turned to contemporary music (Arch.Ensemble) and improvised music (Schindler.Interferenz.3). In addition to the single tube instruments (saxophones and clarinets), he studied the cornet. In addition to his sound research, he also worked as a director, performer, musician and composer for various theater productions. In the following years he performed with solo and duo projects at new music festivals (Musica Viva, Klangaktionen, etc ...), jazz, experimental music, among others. This led to collaborations with musicians like Hubert Bergmann, Gerry Hemingway, Eddie Prevost, Sebi Tramontana, Georg Wissel, John Russell, Blaise Siwula, Frank Gratkowski, Hans Koch, Urs Leimgruber, Elisabeth Harnik, Katharina Weber and Frank Paul Schubert. In addition to his activities in solid cast he initiated in Munich a series of concerts to free improvisation in ad hoc to test instrumentation."

"Thomas Stempkowski lives and works as a double bass player and composer in Vienna and is the organizer of the monthly concert series "QUANTEN - Chamber for Music".

Only after learning and practicing two professions (structural engineer and cabinet maker) for several years did Thomas Stempkowski turn to the double bass. After the first instruction by Angus "Bangus" Thomas, music became more and more important in his life, so that he finally studied with Harald Putz and Uli Langthaler Jazzbass at the Conservatory of the City of Vienna (today Music and Art University of the City of Vienna).

1998-2004Concert diploma in jazz at the Music and Art Private University of the City of Vienna (H. Putz, U. Langthaler)

2004-2009Bachelor of Arts in concert double bass at the Vienna Conservatory Private University (A. Ackerman, H. Mayr)

2007-2010Master of Arts in concert jazz at the Anton Bruckner Private University (P.Herbert)

Master classes with Prof. Johannes Auersperg and Tim Dunin

Oct 2016 - March 2017Parental leave professorship at the State Conservatory of Klagenfurt for jazz bass and pedagogy

Due to his busy activity as a musician, Thomas Stempkowski moves effortlessly between the different genres. He seeks and lives the resulting longing for music free of categorizations in his own projects. This search is concentrated in free music. He composes and plays for various theater, film and cabaret productions, leads his own projects in areas such as new and free music, jazz and electronics / acousmatics.

Appearances a. with Cremerata Baltica (Lockenhaus), Hugo Wolf Quartet (Lockenhaus), Facil Say, Clark Terry, Harold Jones, Robert Opratko, Lou Grassi, Donald Robinson, Wolfgang Reisinger, Franz Hautzinger, Susanna Gartmayer, Marco Eneidi, Agnes Heginger, Michael Fischer, Vienna Improvisers Orchestra, Ingrid Oberkanins, Simon Frick, Judith Reiter, Vasile Marian, Thomas Berghammer. Various free orchestras and chamber music in the Vienna area.

Since 2009 Thomas Stempkowski has been a substitute for the stage orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Volksoper (e.g. P. Hindemith "Cardillac" premiere October 17, 2010, WAMozart "Don Giovanni" premiere November 14, 2015, P.Eötvös "Tri Sestri" premiere 06.03 .2016)

Since January 2012 he has been organizing the monthly concert series "QUANTEN - Chamber for Music", which subsequently acts as a community of interests and a platform for contemporary music-making: from composed to improvised and back ... Previous guest musicians, among others. Karl Sayer, Alessandro Vicard, Thomas Berghammer, Jean - Christophe Mastnak, Susanna Gartmayer, Judith Reiter, Franz Hautzinger, Maria Frodl, Simon Frick, Karl Ritter, Andrej Prozorov, Andreas Schreiber, Peter Herbert, Agnes Heginger, Wolfgang Reisinger, Ingrid Oberkanins, Michael Fischer, Meaghan Burke, Burkhard Stangl, Katharina Ernst, Didi Kern, Igor Gross, Bernadette Zeilinger, Werner Zangerle, Jakob Gnigler, Arnold Noid Haberl, Máté Pozsár, Melissa Coleman, Pia Palme, Thomas Lehn, and many more."