Martin Wettstein (*1970) lives as a freelance composer with his family on Lake Zurich. He attended the classical high school and studied theory and composition with Hans Ulrich Lehmann, Matthias Steinauer and Edison Denissow, as well as piano with Daniel Fueter, Christoph Lieske and Homero Francesch. Stays in St. Petersburg and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow rounded off his education.

 

Wettstein mainly writes commissioned compositions, for example for the casalQuartett, the Amar Quartet, the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, the Swiss Piano Trio, the ensemble TaG, the Harry White Trio, the Singkreis der Engadiner Kantorei, the vocal ensemble Cantapella, the church and oratorio choir in Wädenswil , the Circus Musicus Stuttgart, Festival Strings Lucerne, Weinberger Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Philharmonic Graubünden, Chaarts, Camerata Bern, Trio des Alpes or the gershwin piano quartet.

Wettstein worked with conductors such as Michael Sanderling, Howard Griffiths, Kevin Griffiths and Massimiliano Matesic.

 

The commissions come from Germany and abroad, for example from the International Hugo Wolf Academy, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the German Literature Archive in Marbach, the Wuxi Municipal Government in China, the Boswil Summer, the Rapperswil Palace Concerts, the Hochschule der Arts Zurich ZHdK or the Gstaad Menuhin Festival.

 

Wettstein's catalog of works is large and varied. He writes for solo instruments such as piano or guitar, chamber music for string quartet, flute sextet, percussion, piano trio, clarinet trio, string duo, vocal music for a cappella choir, songs and cantatas for orchestra, choir and soloists. He writes concertos for accordion, flute, pan flute or soprano with large and small orchestral accompaniment. Unusual combinations also play a role: a work for choir, piano, basset horn trio and colored light grand piano was performed in the Grosse Liederhalle in Stuttgart. For a China tour he wrote a work for piano, clarinet trio, electric guitar and onde martenot.

 

He is also particularly interested in working with children and young people, so he accompanied the Zurich Youth Choir as a composer and pianist on a tour of Korea or wrote the "Johanniter-Kantata" for the cantonal school in Küsnacht ZH or the cantata "Zeitkaskaden" for the choir of the cantonal school Rychenberg in Winterthur and the Ensemble TaG.

 

As a passionate teacher, he teaches piano, music theory, composition and music history at the Zurich Conservatory Music School and at the Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK.

Wettstein judges in international music competitions, such as the Rychenberg Competition.

 

He works as a pianist and organist at the Küsnacht Reformed Church.  

 

Wettstein is just as enthusiastic about cultural management. He initiated several concert series and works as a concert dramaturge at the Liechtenstein Theater. This work also includes cultural mediation such as writing concert programs or designing concert introductions.

 

As a balance, Wettstein paints pictures, devotes himself to family life and always seeks inspiration in nature on long hikes.