Samuel Gapp
Pianist and composer Samuel Gapp, originally from Germany, is actively engaged in a wide range of musical, artistic, and educational activities within the field of contemporary music. His work explores the intersections of improvisation, composition, interdisciplinarity, and music education, moving across different musical traditions, including jazz, experimental music, and written music. He primarily works between Germany and Portugal, where he is currently based.
Gapp performs as a pianist in multiple groups and formats, many of which explore the symbiotic qualities and collaborative values of musical improvisation.
His written music is characterized by a direct, non-formal, and “natural” approach, and he has composed and arranged works for ensembles, orchestras, choirs, big bands, as well as interdisciplinary projects and performances. He has been awarded prestigious prizes, including the MUSA Prize (2022, for ensemble), the Francisco de Lacerda Composition Prize (2022, for orchestra), the Bernardo Sassetti Composition Prize (2019, for "Trio & String Quartet"), and the Jovens Músicos Prize (2019).
He has collaborated with musicians such as Peter Evans, John O’Gallagher, Michael Schiefel, Rodrigo Amado, João Lencastre, and Nicholas McNair, as well as institutions including Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, Ensemble MPMP, Centro Cultural de Belém, Universidade Lusíada, Hot Clube de Portugal, Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory, and Musiker ohne Grenzen (Guayaquil, Ecuador).
Gapp is the co-founder of the label Habitable Records, an international platform that promotes musical exchange, equality, artistic research, and the social benefits that music can bring.
In the field of music education, he has coordinated and participated in various musical and sociocultural initiatives, teaching music lessons, leading group improvisations, and conducting creative workshops. He studied jazz piano and composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany, and at the Escola Superior de Música in Lisbon, Portugal, with João Paulo Esteves da Silva and Luís Tinoco.