Mats Eser

Mats Eser, born in Zurich in 1964, moves within a broad stylistic spectrum with his work as a musician, composer, and producer. He has found his own, unmistakable signature. His particular interest is in the richness of percussive sounds and the art of staging them musically. As a multi-instrumentalist, he creates ever new and surprising sound mixtures with marimba, vibraphone, Fender Rhodes, drums, self-developed glass instruments, exquisite cymbals, and Asian gongs. The resulting music has long since transcended all stylistic boundaries and touches directly.

His studies of classical percussion at the Conservatory in Zurich were followed by lively work as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestra musician (Tonhalle and Opernhaus Zurich, 1991 to 2006 solo percussionist and timpanist in the Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur). Additional training was undergone with the vibraphonists Antony Kerr (London) and David Friedmann (Berlin).

He later became a member of the «ensemble für neue musik zürich» and is also a founding member of the «Schweizer Schlagzeug Ensemble». This led him to collaborate actively with composers for contemporary music and to engage in a large number of first performances and CD-productions. As a performer of his own and others’ compositions he has appeared all over Europe, Asia and South America. A longtime collaboration tied him with Nick Bärtsch in his «Mobile» group and with the jazz group «music 01» featuring the saxophone player, Christoph Merki.

His current musical activity is entirely focused on formations and musical concepts that he has been pursuing for many years. These include the collaboration with Ania Losinger, the pop/jazz band “Lyn Leon“, in a trio with Stephan Diethelm and New York singer Carolyn Leonhart, various formations of the musician and composer Don Li (Tonus-Music), in the marimba trio TRE, with AËR and NEN.