Rainer Rubbert was born in Erlangen (Franconia, Germany) in June 1957.
He grew up in Berlin, where he still lives and works.
From 1975-1981 he studied composition with Prof. Witold Szalonek, at the Berlin School for the Arts (Hochschule der Künste Berlin). Rainer Rubbert was significantly influenced by Prof. Szalonek’s radical style, with its distinctive resolution of the apparent contradiction between advanced musical material, compositional rigor and free expression.
In 1981 he completed his studies, earning the state matriculation diploma.
Over the course of his artistic career, his compositions have won numerous national and international competitions, and he has been awarded a series of prizes and fellowships:
In 1979 he won the Prix Marcel Josse from the Association des saxophonistes français.
In 1984 he obtained a scholarship from the Office franco-allemand pour la jeunesse.
In 1985 he was a prizewinner in the Forum “junger deutscher Komponisten für Orchestermusik,” where his composition, “Bewegungen,” was performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1986/1987 he obtained a German government scholarship to live in Paris in the Cité Internationale des Arts.
In 1988 and 1991 he obtained Composition Fellowships from the Berlin Cultural Senate, and his compositions were performed by the Scharoun-Ensemble.
In 1989 he won 2nd prize in the Budapest International Composers Competition for his woodwind quintet composition, “…des lignes raides fuient dans la nuit.”
1992 he won the „Kunstpreis Berlin“ from the Akademie der Künste.
In autumn 2002 he was a Fellow of the Academy of the Arts at the Villa Serpentara (Olévano Romano, Italy), which allowed him to live and compose in Italy for three months.
In June 2007 his cantata “Aus der Fremde” won the Carl-von-Ossietzky-Preis in the Oldenburg University international composing competition.
In 2012 he won the „Premio Città di Fossacesia 2012“ in Italy with his composition, “Musique pour décourager les rossignols,” and in 2013 he obtained the prestigious „Deutschen Musikautorenpreis“; 2016 Composition Fellowship from the Berlin Cultural Senate.
In 1989 he founded the Berlin weekly concert series for contemporary music, Unerhörte Musik. He and the composer Martin Daske have been the artistic directors of the series ever since.
In 2006/2007 Rainer Rubbert composed his first major opera, “Kleist,” with a libretto by the novelist Tanja Langer. This work had its premiere in March 2008 in the State Theatre at Brandenburg on the Havel, under the direction of Bernd Motti. It was subsequently performed at the Hans-Otto-Theater, Potsdam, and the Kleist-Forum, Frankfurt an der Oder.
Rainer Rubbert’s works are regularly performed at important national and international festivals for contemporary music, such as:
– the International Gaudeamus Musik Week Holland 1980,
– the International Forum of Contemporary Music Warsaw 1985,
– the Budapest Spring Festival 1989, Rainbow Music Festival Katovice 1989,
– Schreyahner Herbst 1990,
– International Rostrum of Composers Paris 1991,
– INVENTIONEN Berlin 1992,
– Internationales Festival der Mozart-Städte Salzburg 1992
– Schönberg-Festival Duisburg 1993,
– Silesian Art Festival 1995,
– Audio Art Festival Krakau 1995,
– Festival des Musiques d‘aujourd‘hui Marseilles 1995,
– Tage der Neuen Musik Würzburg 1997,
– antasten Heilbronn 1999,
– EXPO 2000,
– Festival INFront Aachen 2003, Kryptonale Berlin 2003, Tirana Autumn 2003,
– Chengdu International Contemporary Music Festival 2004,
– Novembermusic Essen 2006,
– Nuovi spazi musicali Rome 2009,
– Generator #16 Zurich 2009,
– KlangZeitFestival Münster 2010,
– Musiche in monstra Torino 2011, 2012, 2020,
– XXII. Świȩtokrzyskie dni muzyki Kielce 2014,
– Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival 2014.
– Kharkiv Contemporary Music Festival 2016 (Ukraine)
– Perm International Contemporary Music Festival 2016 (Russia)
– Festiwal Muzyki Wspólczesnej Gdansk, Slaskie Dni Muzyki Wspólczesnej 2016 (Poland)
– Musiche in monstra Genua 2016
– Ulan Ude Contemporary Music Festival 2017 (Russia)
– Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt 2018
– Two Days and Two Nights of New Music 2D2N 2021 (Odessa, Ukraine)
His compositions have also been featured at concerts in Brazil, China, Colombia, Korea, Japan and the United States.
Portrait concerts showcasing his work have been organized in: Paris, France (1987), Nuremberg, Germany (2003), Rome, Italy (2004; also featuring Nicola Sani), Sofia, Bulgaria (2012), Berlin (2013), Heringsdorf (2014) and Munich (2015).
Some of his compositions have been published by Editio Musica Budapest, by Verlag Neue Musik Berlin, and M.A.P. Edizioni Musicali di Milano. The Kleist opera as well as the song cycle Künstlerinnen are published by Ries & Erler, Berlin.
Since 2017 his works are published by edition gravis.
Rainer Rubbert is a member of the composer’s union, Atonale e.V.
Short Version
Rainer Rubbert was born in Erlangen, Germany, in 1957, and he grew up in Berlin where he still lives and works.
From 1975-1981 he studied composition with Prof. Witold Szalonek, at the Berlin School for the Arts (Hochschule der Künste Berlin). Herr Rubbert was significantly influenced by Prof. Szalonek’s radical style, with its distinctive resolution of the apparent contradiction between advanced musical material, compositional rigor and free expression.
Herr Rubbert has received numerous prizes and fellowships, among others : Prix Marcel Josse 1979 ; the Cité des Arts Fellowship 1986/87 ; the Budapest Composition Prize 1989 ; the Musical Arts Prize of the Academy of the Arts 1992 ; the Villa-Serpentara Fellowship 2003 ; the Carl-von-Ossietzky Composition Prize 2007 and the Premio Città di Fossacesia 2012.
Since 1989 he has been one of the artististic directors of the concert series Unerhörte Musik.
In 2008 he wrote the Kleist Opera after a libretto by Tanja Langer.
In 2013 he was awarded the German Composition (Musikautoren) prize.