BIOGRAPHY and CV
HOME VIDEO AUDIO BIOGRAPHY TEACHING PRESS CONTACT
Habib Benedikt Elias - Singer, Pianist, Composer, Clarinetist, Music Teacher
The singer, pianist and composer Habib Benedikt Elias
discovered already at the age of 12 the music of Louis Armstrong and Benny
Goodman and thereby his fascination for jazz music which accompanies him until
today.
The free use of musical forms and elements, the improvising and the openness of
jazz music to connect different stiles of music are the basis for Elias'
projects.
Influences from the repertoire of the French Chanson, the Bossa Nova and the pop
music flow into his interpretations and song compositions as well as his
classical music studies (clarinet, opera singing), his experiences in film music
composing and his interest in languages.
Habib Elias performs in various formations, often in a duo with drums, also solo (voice/piano) and in a trio and quartet formation.
His first piano lessons he received at the age of eight, his first clarinet lesson at the age of 14, when he was 16 years old he had his first saxophone lesson.
Habib Elias studied clarinet at the Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik Trossingen
(University of Music in Trossingen) (1992 - 1996), which was followed by singing
classes with Ulrike Sonntag (1996 - 1998) and his studies in opera singing at
the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Saarbrücken (University of Music in
Saarbrücken) (1997 – 2000). Since 2001 he also works as a composer and arranger
for filmmusic, amongst others for ARTE, ARD, ZDF and cinema. (i.a. cooperation
in the composition of the filmmusic for the award-winning cinema documentary "Rhythm is it"
-
https://www.jpc.de/s/rhythm+is+it
which received several awards, composition of the film music for „Elements of
mine“ (First prize at the Moving Pictures Festival in Toronto, 2004))
The versatility and flexibility of his voice in dialogue with his piano playing enable him to interpret both jazz songs and songs of various music styles with original voice improvisations and open forms.
When he arranges a Chanson he searches for sounds in which you find the allegories, pictorial descriptions or humorous tales of the song's lyrics. With Bossa Nova songs he tries to explore its beauty and subtlety against the backround of the inspired cooperation between poets and composers like Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim. The fact that he sings today this repertoire in its original language Portuguese he owes to his wife, a philologist from Brazil.
Especially in his own compositions Habib Elias can combine his diverse musical experience. Amongst others colours of Jazz harmony combine with moods that you associate with song compositions of classical music, or there is a mix between voice improvisation and i.a. socially critical lyric contents or form concepts that you rather link to film music.
His stays in Berlin (2001 – 2006), Barcelona (2006 – 2008) and London (2008 – 2012) gave to him the opportunity to know very different facets of making music. Apart from English and German he sings also in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, which is not only related to his periods abroad but also to his joy of learning languages. He tries thereby to involve in his music the individual strength of each language to express emotions and stories.
He played with Felix Schrack, Andrea Marcelli, Martin Trostel, Florian Dohrmann, Johnathan Robinson, Dirk Engelhardt, as well as regularly at jam sessions in Berlin (i.a. with Kalle Kalima), Barcelona and London.
Since 2012 Habib Benedikt Elias lives with his wife and their two children in
Rottenburg am Neckar.
SINGING, PIANO AND SONGWRITING
2019
18 October 2019, 20.00 h, Jazz und Klassiktage Tübingen, Hammerschmiede Rottenburg, "Songs from the Movies", with Martin Trostel (Piano), Florian Dohrmann (Bass), Dieter Schumacher (Drums)
Late Night Big Band Rottenburg, Zehntscheuer, Cultural Night, Rottenburg
4 May 2019, 22.00 h
2018
Jazz-Matinee, Cinema "Waldhorn" Rottenburg, "Movie Songs - Live", 30.09.2018, with Martin Trostel (Piano), Florian Dohrmann (Bass), Felix Schrack (Drums)
Open Air, 40th anniversary of the Jazzclub Balingen, 14 July 2018, with MAJA: Matti Münch-Saxophon, Alex Neher-Schlagzeug, Jörg Sommer-Klavier/Gesang, Andreas Reif-Kontrabass
2017
Late Night Big Band Rottenburg, Zehntscheuer, Cultural Night, Rottenburg
21 October 2017, 22.00 h
Late Night Big Band Rottenburg, marketplace, Rottenburg,
09 September 2017, 20.30 h
Musical frame at the Rottenburger summer poetry readings, Haus am Nepomuk, 22 August 2017, 19.00 h
2016
Cinema "Waldhorn" Rottenburg, "Movie Songs -
Live"
Late Night Big Band Rottenburg, Marketplace, Rottenburg, Cultural Night, 10 September 2016
2015
Performances in author readings (book authors
Matthias Kopetzki, Nam Nguyen, Gebhard Bock), "Kleine Bühne", VHS-Rottenburg am
Neckar, (2013/2014)
2013
Christmas concert with a solo program (voice, piano), jazz arrangements of Christmas songs in German and English, Nepomuk-Haus, Rottenburg am Neckar
2011/2012
Regular performances at "Mr
Wing", London, Chelsea, (2011/2012)
2001-2007
Performances in a jazz trio and quartet, i.a. with Andrea Marcelli (drums), Jonathan Robinson (bass) and Dirk Engelhardt (saxophone)
2007 – 2009
"Tarantos", “La Serilla”, “Chaise Lounge”, Barcelona, Spain,
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Performances at the New Year Celebrations at the
Jolly-Hotel Berlin in for up to 300 international guests.
2005
Performance solo at the award evening of the Television-Festival in Baden Baden, Germany
2003
Composition and recording of two Brazilian songs for the Hape Kerkeling Cinema movie “Samba in Mettmann“, Director: Angelo Colagrossi
Composition and recording of the song "You've settled in my mind" for the television series "Wilde Engel" for the TV channel RTL
Composition and recording of two Italian songs for the feature film „Liebe ist die beste Medizin“, Director: Hannu Salonen, TV channel ARD
COMPOSING, ARRANGING AND PRODUCING OF
FILM MUSiC FOR MOVIES AND TELEVISION SERIES
2014
Participation in the film music compositions,
arrangements and productions of the following projects:
10 episodes of the TV Series "Die
Familiendetektivin", ZDF, Production: Bavaria Fernsehproduktion, Director: Ulli
Baumann, (2014)
2013
"In einem wilden Land", SAT1, Production: Two Oceans Production, Director: Rainer Matsutani
"Beste Freundinnen", ZDF, Production: Relevant Film, Director: Thomas Jauch
"Wer wenn nicht Du", ZDF, Director: Ulli Baumann
"Familie Sonntag auf Abwegen", ZDF, Production: Olga Film, Director: Ulli Baumann
"Ein Sommer in Amalfi", ZDF, Production: Colonia Media, Director: Jorgo Papavassilio
2012
"Der Tag am See", ZDF, Director: Ulli Baumann
"Johanna und der Buschpilot, Der Weg nach Afrika", "Johanna und der Buschpilot, Die Legende der Kraniche ", ZDF, Production: Teamworx, Director: Ulli Baumann
"Tatort – Ihr Kinderlein kommet", WDR, Production: Colonia Media, Director: Thomas Jauch
2011
"Tatort - Kinderland", MDR, Production: Saxonia, Director: Thomas Jauch
"Wilde Wellen", ZDF,
Production: Bavaria, Director: Ulli Baumann, 4-Teiler
"Der Kriminalist", ZDF,
Production: Monaco Film, Director: Hannu Salonen, Folge 39-41
"Die Samenhändlerin", ZDF, Production: Bavaria, Director: Michael Keusch,
2010
"Otto's Eleven" Cinema: (Verleih: Warner Bros.), Production: TransWaalFilm, Director: Sven Unterwaldt
2008
"Gerdas Schweigen",
Cinema: (Verleih: Piffl Medien), Production: Zeitsprung , Director: Britta
Wauer, Documentary, CD release at Alhambra Records, Award:
"Beste Filmmusik", Kinofest Lünen
Documentary film „Rhythm is it“ about an education project with Sir Simon Rattle and The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
"Tatort" with Dominik Raake and Jürgen Vogel, Director: Hannu Salonen, (TV channel ARD)
Composition, production and interpretation of the film music for the musical film "Elements of mine“ (TV channels Arte and NDR) with Ensemble members of the Schaubühne and of the Komische Oper Berlin
First Prize, Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film and Video (MopixAward 2004), Toronto VideoDance,
2004 International Thessaloniki Film Festival, Athen & Thessaloniki DANCE ON CAMERA FESTIVAL 2005, New York
DFA's 32nd Annual Festival 2005, New York
Composition and production of the score music for the television serie “Hinter Gittern” (episodes 177 – 332), produced by Grundy Ufa for the TV channel RTL
Since 2014
Singing teacher for jazz and popular music at the Jugendmusikschule Balingen
Teacher of a clarinet class at the Geschwister-Scholl Schule Tübingen, Musikschule Tübingen
Since 2012
Singing, piano, clarinet and saxophone teacher at the Musikschule Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany
2010 - 2012
Piano, clarinet and singing teacher at The Music House for Children, London, UK, i.a. preparing pupils for Grade exams, ABRSM
Music teacher at the Tabernacle School, Holland Park, London, UK
Preparing pupils for GCSE music exams, „AQA“
Since 2009
Private singing, piano, clarinet and music theory teacher, London, UK
2008 - 2009
Piano teacher at the “Hamelin” school in Alella, Barcelona
Teaching languages: english and spanish
Clarinet teacher at the “Skerzo” music school in Barcelona, Spain
1992 – 2009
Private clarinet, piano and singing teacher in various cities in Germany and in Barcelona, Spain
1997 - 2000
Clarinet teacher at the “Waldorfschule” Bexbach, Germany
1997 - 2000
Clarinet teacher at the “Music Association” Ensdorf, Germany
1995 - 1998
Clarinet and saxophone teacher at the municipal music school in Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany
1995 - 1997
Clarinet and saxophone teacher at the municipal music school in Trossingen, Germany
1992 - 1995
Clarinet and saxophone teacher at the municipal music school in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
EDUCATION
1997 - 2000
Studies of opera and solo singing with Prof. Raimund Gilvan-Cartwright at the University of Music Saarland (Hochschule für Musik Saar) in Saarbrücken, Germany
1996 -1998
Classical singing lessons with Prof. Ulrike Sonntag, Stuttgart, Germany
1991 – 1996
Studies of clarinet with Prof. Waldemar Wandel (Consortium Classicum) at the University of Music in Trossingen (Hochschule für Musik Trossingen), Germany, studies of methodology with Rudolf Mauz, Degree in 1996
FURTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND EDUCATION
Radio Recordings (Saarland Radio) at the program “Performances of students of the University of Saarland”
Participation at a course of corporal expression and opera acting with Professor Claudio de Maglio, (Director of the
Academy of Dramatic Arts in Udine, Italy)
University-entrance diploma with principal subjects Music and French, 1989
First piano lessons at the age of 8, first clarinet lessons with Karl Singer at the age of 14, saxophone lessons with Klaus Kreczmarsky, 1986 – 1989, Master classes of clarinet with Prof Waldemar Wandel, Greece, 1994/1995, with Prof. Eduard Brunner, Switzerland, 1996
HOME VIDEO AUDIO BIOGRAPHY TEACHING PRESS CONTACT