The American George Crumb, an icon of the composing world in the 20^th and 21^st centuries, turns 80 this year. Therefore Amerika Haus, in cooperation with the Collegium Musicum of the University of Cologne, invited the public to experience the musical cosmos of the Pulitzer Prize-winner.

George Crumb’s creations are distinguished by gracefully gentle and surprisingly exotic sounds, spherical harmonies and pulsing rhythms. Like no other, Crumb found new and experimental ways of playing the “classical” instruments, which led to unusual sonorities within his music. He often employs special instruments such as Chinese temple gongs and dulcimers, as he did in “A Haunted Landscape” (1984).

Through the fusion of these techniques and various musical elements, extraordinary tones and moments of sustained stillness emerge in waves. Numerous influences outside of the musical permeate his oeuvre: painting, mythology, literature, folklore, cosmic phenomena, and much more. The music revolves around age-old collective human experiences, such as love, death, and time.

This Year, George Crum celebrates his 80th birthday. This is reason enough to recognize his work with a festival of six concerts and a panel discussion in June and November of 2009 with internationally celebrated artists. Therefore, Amerika Haus cooperates with the University of Cologne and the studio for New Music of the University of Siegen to realize this tribute.