Max Riefer

Max Riefer is passionate about new music, having founded his first new music ensemble at the age of 18. Currently, he is the percussionist with Inverspace (Switzerland) and Zero Crossing (Germany/Singapore). He has also played with Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt) and Zeitkratzer (Berlin). He served as artistic director and conductor of Shin (Japan).

Max Riefer is the "Chair of Percussion Studies" at Universiti Teknologi Mara UiTM in Malaysia. Previously, he served as a lecturer on the percussion faculty at Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland from 2010 to 2012.

Max Riefer served as a lecturer of the Percussion Faculty at Music University of Lugano (CSI Lugano), Switzerland from 2010 to 2012. Furthermore, he had been invited as guest lecturer at various universities which includes the Birmingham Conservatoire (UK); Toho Gakuen School of Music; Tokyo Ongaku Daigaku (Japan), Ueno Gakuen (all Tokyo, Japan); the University of the Philippines (Manila, Philippines); the University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); SEGi College of Music (Subang Jaya, Malaysia) ; the National University of Singapore (Yong Siew Toh Conservatory) and the La-Salle University (Singapore).

Riefer has premiered pieces written for him by renowned composers, including Dieter Mack, James Clarke, Nicolaus A. Huber, Keiko Harada, and Thomas Lauck. He has also had the honour to work in various projects with percussionists such as Bob Becker, Emmanuel Sejourné, and Fritz Hauser.

He has performed at international festivals including MaerzMusik (Berlin), Tokyo Experimental Festival (Japan), Wien Modern (Austria), two days and two nights of new music (Odessa, Ukraine), CRACKING BAMBOO (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand), and the Soundways Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia). Riefer's concerts were recorded and broadcasted at radio stations such as the DeutschlandRadio Kultur, DLF, Saarländischer Rundfunk, SWR 2 (all Germany), and BBC 3 (United Kingdom).

He works together with and premiered pieces written for him by renowned composers, to name a few, Dieter Mack, James Clarke, Nicolaus A. Huber, Keiko Harada, and Thomas Lauck. He has also had the honour to work in various projects with musicians such as flutist Robert Aitken, percussionists lile Bob Becker, Emmanuel Sejourné, and Fritz Hauser.

Max Riefer has received several awards and scholarships including those from the German National Merit Foundation, the Lions Club of Saarland, the Arts Foundation Baden-Württemberg (all Germany), Toho Orchestra Academy of Japan, and a residency-scholarship by Tokyo Wonder Site, Japan. In addition, he has earned several awards such as “Culture-Prize granted by the Cutural Minister of Saarland”, a special award from the Fritz-Neumeyer-Academy, the “Gustav Scheck Award” earned with the Freiburg Percussion Group, and a national first prize in the German music competition “Jugend Musiziert.”

Various concert tours have taken him around the world with performances all over Europe, Palestine, Syria, China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Southeast Asia. He has been invited to perform both as a soloist and chamber musician to international festivals including "MaerzMusih" Berlin, "Tokyo Experimental Festival" (Japan), "Wien Modern" (Austria), “two days and two nights of new music” (Odessa, Ukraine), CRACKING BAMBOO (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand), and the Soundways Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia).

In addition to his solo and chamber music endeavors, Riefer works regularly as an orchestral percussionist performing with, among others, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestras of Freiburg, Heidelberg or Darmstadt, and the Saarland State Orchestra.

Verschiedene Konzertreisen führten ihn nach ganz Europa, Palästina, Syrien, China, Japan, und in die Mongolei. Er wurde als Solist und Kammermusiker zu Festivals wie "Tokyo Experimental Festival" (Japan), "Wien Modern", "MaerzMusik" (Berlin), “two days and two nights of new music” (Odessa, Ukraine), CRACKING BAMBOO (Vietnam, Laos, Kambodscha, Indonesien), und dem Soundways Festival (St. Petersburg, Russland) eingeladen.

After focusing mainly on instrumental-acoustical projekts, Riefer has broaden his sphere with intercultural and interdisciplinary projects involving dance, acting, electro-acoustical music or video. Among his partners are Toby Wulff (video artist), Peter I. Edwards (live-electronics), Yih Kah Hoe (composition), or Lee Swee Keong (Choreography).

Riefer's concerts were recorded and broadcasted at radio stations such as the DeutschlandRadio Kultur, DLF, Saarländischer Rundfunk, SWR 2 (all Germany), and BBC 3 (United Kingdom).

His first solo album will be released in 2016.