Christoph götzen

Christoph Götzen (*1996 in Düsseldorf, Germany) is an experimental guitarist, performer, composer, improvisor, organiser and educator.

Christoph is mainly focusing on improvised and experimental music, influenced by avant-garde, free jazz and contemporary music. He performed in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, USA, and Australia. In 2014 and 2019 he played for the NYC based ensemble “Tilted Axes” and performed for two seasons (2020-2022) for the production “Blick zurück nach vorn” at the Theater of Düsseldorf. Christoph has composed for dance, theater and interdisciplinary art projects, both under his own name and on behalf of renowned artists such as Birgit Jensen. Current projects as a performer are his quartet “Strange Meeting”, a duo with Canadian Cellist Laurence Gaudreau, a duo with U.K based vocalist and opera singer Milana Sarukhanyan, enganements with Selendis Sebastian Alexander Johnson (NYC), collaborations with his collective EMC, several side projects and solo concerts. Beside his main focous on improvised music, Christoph also plays contemporary music eg. with the “Ensemble Aurora No.π”.

As an organiser, Christoph is the artistic director of the “Strange Music Festival”, which was featured on German live television in August 2022. Furthermore, he co-organises the 2023/2024 season of Klankhaven & Sound in Motion in Antwerp, Belgium. In 2024 Christoph formed EMC (European Music Collective), which is a union of musicians from all around Europe (and beyond). EMC functions as a platform for improvised and contemporary music and is also hosting their first Residency in Latvia this summer (2024).

As an educator, Christoph has been giving a variety of workshops on improvisation for children, semi-professionals and professional musicians. He has been commisioned three times, to be leading workshops on behalf of the Ministry of Culture of the state NRW, in Germany and has invited international collaborators such as Belgian Soundpainter Johan Sabbe, Ukranian Vocalist Milana Sarukhanyan or Ukranian DJ and Producer Bejenec.

Christoph studied jazz guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with Frederik Leroux and Hendrik Braeckman. In recent years, he has moved away from more traditional music and focusses on improvisation and other related experimental genres. Christoph has participated in a variety of Residencys and Workshops in Lithuania, Belgium, Germany, Slovakia and the USA. He had lessons, lectures and Masterclasses with Anthony Braxton, Helmut Lachenmann, Yaron Deutsch, Ingrid Laubrock, Joey Baron, Julian Lage, Jacob Bro, Billy Hart and Sidney Corbett amongst others. With appearance in the USA and all around Europe, Christoph continuously connects with likeminded improvisors and has been described as one of the most ambitious and original musicians of the next generation of improvisors.