Originally
from Germany, Gundula completed a 4 year course at the Leopold
Mozart Konservatorium where she graduated as a classical violinist;
she also had voice training and studied conducting, composition
and piano. She later obtained a postgraduate degree in jazz at
the Richard Strauss Konservatorium. She worked with such teachers
as Bernhard Tluck and Jörg Widmoser and undertook masterclasses
with Isabella Petrosjan amongst others.
Throughout
this time Gundula discovered her passion for Gypsy and Eastern
European music. She has spent the last decade exploring and
researching the many and varied fiddle styles of Eastern Europe
and the Balkans. Gundula’s work now fully reflects her
devotion to these exciting cultures. She expanded her knowledge
working with various Gypsy violin virtuosos such as Caliu (Taraf
De Haidouks, Romania), Tcha Limberger (Hungary), Winny Mathias
(Germany) and other recognized Balkan musicians. She is now
one of the most prominent Balkan violinists in the UK.
Gundula
has 20 years of experience in performing and 17 years of experience
in teaching. In the last 10 years she has performed in concerts
as well as conducting workshops and other projects to great
acclaim. Her live work has taken her throughout the UK and Europe
to festivals, art centres and theatres. Recent TV productions
include the filming for the documentary ‘How Music Works’
on the UK’s TV Channel 4. She has also been a guest on
the BBC radio programme ‘Roma Rokker Radio’ and
on Resonance FM.
Gundula
is the director of the London Gypsy Orchestra, a 35-strong group
that she created in early 2005 (www.londongypsyorchestra.co.uk).
Moreover she performs regularly with Serbian musicians, most
recently with the ZiG duo (www.ZiGduo.com). Within the last
5 years Gundula has led numerous shows and productions involving
Gypsy and Balkan music at theatres and festivals, frequently
collaborating with Balkan dancer Ljiljana Grkinic. She has also
worked with children of various ages on music projects to create
awareness of Gypsy culture and society.
Gundula is the author of "Gypsy Music Collection - 63 tunes from Eastern Europe and the Balkans'. This book with scores and info of the pieces and in terpretation contains also a CD, that she recorded and produced. It was launched recently and is published by Spartan Press. More info here.
Apart
from her knowledge in ethnomusicology and her abilities on the
violin it is her passion for music and the enthusiasm in her
performance that make her shows vibrant and unforgettable.
