The Non-Piano Ensemble is a Hamburg-based ensemble with four pianists at its core (Bernhard Fograscher, Jennifer Hymer, Daria-Karmina Iossifova, Steven Tanoto). It was founded by Jennifer Hymer simultaneously with the Hamburg festival Non-Piano/Toy Piano Weekend in 2014 to create a group of outstanding solo pianists who could also perform works for toy and other small instruments such as toy pianos, melodicas, kalimbas, toy and percussion instruments, balloons, typewriters, etc.

Among its numerous collaborations are performances of ensemble pieces for up to 8 toy pianos, a Beatles-inspired program at the historic music club Indra, where the Beatles performed for the first time in Hamburg, a balloon quartet by Francesco Filidei, a trio for electric typewriters by Manuel Rodriquez Valenzuela, a kalimba trio by Steven Tanoto, Simon Steen-Andersen’s paper and vocal duo “Difficulties Putting It into Practice,” a collaboration with juggler and composer Denis Fargeton, and two projects with puppet theater: “Monkey King” (puppeteer Jean-Luc Penso) and “As She Likes It” (puppeteer Lucie Cunningham).

Their performance at the Non-Piano/Toy Piano Weekend has become a popular annual event in Hamburg, featuring a wide range of toy pianos, unique musical guests, virtuoso performances, and a diverse mix of musical styles—from pop, classical, and reimagined classical pieces to theatrical performances, as well as the latest compositions in contemporary music and current trends in music technology. Through the imaginative use of toy and “real” instruments combined with carefully curated programs, the ensemble presents performances that are both entertaining and thought-provoking.

The ensemble has received many works written specifically for them by composers such as Alessandro Anatrini, Sergio Vasquez Carrillo, Chris Corcoran, Hector Docx, Karlheinz Essl, Denis Fargeton, Gordon Kampe, Tonia Ko, Mauro Lanza, Sascha Lino Lemke, Benjamin Helmer, Laura Livers, Linda Marcel, Julia Mihaly, Daniel Moreira, Ewelina Nowicka, Mats O Hansson, Jeeyun Jang, Ruta Paidere, Tam Thi Pham, Anthony de Ritis, Catalina Rueda, Aigerim Seilova, Benjamin Scheuer, Sebastian Sprenger, Steven Tanoto, Jana de Troyer, Steffen Wolf, Shuang Wu, Niko Yin and Dong Zhou.

The ensemble has collaborated with guests such as Huihui Cheng, Lin Chen, Lucie Cunningham, Jan Gerdes, Karlheinz Essl, Taleja Großmann, Isabel Ettenauer, Lisa Lammel, Marcia Lemke-Kern, Benjamin Lyko, Lin-Ni Liao, Cornelia Monske, Meredith Nicoll, Lilli Pätzhold, Jean-Luc Penso, Pawel Romanczuk, Jacob Sello, Lisa Streich, Manuel Rodriguez Valenzuela, Frederic Verrieres, Fanny Vicens, Anna Vishnevska, and Ying-Chieh Wang.

More info: toypiano-weekend.de/ensemble