Hajo Wiesemann is a pianist, composer, and musical director working at the intersection of jazz, contemporary music, improvisation, and chamber music. His artistic work is characterized by a continuous search for new sonic spaces where structural precision, emotional depth, and improvisational freedom meet.
He studied jazz piano at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Wiesemann is pianist and founding member of the Essen Jazz Orchestra, which was nominated for the German Jazz Award in 2023 and received the renowned “Jazz Pott” award in 2019.
With the Geysir Quartett, founded in 2022, he pursues a vision of chamber music that transcends stylistic boundaries, blending elements of jazz, global music, and contemporary composition.
In addition to his ensemble work, Wiesemann regularly performs in chamber music duos. Together with cellist Anna Betz-Reitmeier (Ensemble Ruhr), he explores the idea of Global Chamber Music, focusing particularly on contemporary works for cello and piano. The duo highlights compositions that reflect cultural diversity and musical dialogue, including works by Setareh Nafisi (Iran), César Camargo Mariano (Brazil), and numerous other international composers. Their repertoire bridges classical expressiveness, improvisational freedom, and global musical traditions, creating performances where sound, space, and cultural identity merge into a shared musical language.
In his duo with Iranian composer and Tar virtuoso Elshan Ghasimi, Wiesemann explores the connection between Persian musical tradition, Western improvisation, and contemporary sound aesthetics. Their collaboration is a dialogue of equals—redefining cultural narratives through poetic openness and formal clarity.
As a composer and musical director, Wiesemann has worked with the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Staatstheater Stuttgart, the Theater Heidelberg, the Staatstheater Dresden, and the Essen and Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestras. His theater music is marked by a close interrelation of musical structure and stage dramaturgy. The Shakespeare production A Midsummer Night’s Dream (directed by Joanna Praml) at the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus was nominated for the German Theatre Award “Der Faust” in 2017.
In film, he composed the scores for Die Geschichte einer Familie (The Story of a Family, dir. Karsten Dahlem, starring Anna Maria Mühe*) and Princess (dir. Karsten Dahlem), both of which received multiple awards and international recognition.
Wiesemann’s oeuvre includes works for ensemble, solo, theater, and film. His music combines sonic transparency, rhythmic energy, and a balance between structured form and intuitive movement, creating a distinctive voice within contemporary music.
