Biography

Christian Sharpe is a trumpet soloist, chamber musician, and improviser, dedicated to exploring new sonic landscapes.

He is equally engaged in interdisciplinary projects, free improvisation, and contemporary music ensembles, collaborating with groups such as the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, Ensemble Consord, and notabu.ensemble neue musik. His performances have featured at prestigious festivals, including the Lucerne Festival, Moers Jazz Festival, Acht Brücken, Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, and Klavier-Festival Ruhr. Among his standout musical moments are performing Enno Poppe’s Speicher under the composer’s direction, and György Ligeti’s Piano Concerto with the renowned pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

In addition to his passion for contemporary art, Christian is an active classical musician. He regularly performs solo recitals and has performed in orchestras such as the Sinfonieorchester Aachen, Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal and the Australian International Opera Company Orchestra.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Christian began playing the piano at age 8, the trumpet at 10, and the trombone at 14, ultimately focusing on the trumpet. During high school, he gained valuable experience through a school internship with the Royal Australian Navy Band.

Christian graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2018. After moving to Germany, he pursued master degrees in Solo/Chamber Music under Cyrill Sandoz and in the Interpretation of Contemporary Music under Professors Susanne Blumenthal and Urban Agnas at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Cologne.

His formal education is complemented by masterclasses with Professors Klaus Schuhwerk and Wolfgang Guggenberger, participation in the Lucerne Academy for Contemporary Music under Marco Blaauw, and studies at the Chosen Vale Centre for Advanced Musical Education in the U.S.

Central to Christian’s musical philosophy is the integration of performance and pedagogy. Since 2024, he has been teaching trumpet and trombone at the Greven/Emsdetten/Saerbeck Music School.