Thomas K. J. Mejer studied Saxophone with Urs Leimgruber (Jazz School Lucerne), Marcus Weiss (Konservatorium Luzern) and Mick Green (Dartington College of Art, UK) and composition with Vinko Globokar, Per Nørgard and Michael Finnissy (Sussex University).
His compositions were a.o. played by Allegri Quartet, BBC Singers, Ny Dansk Saxofon Kvartett, Cambridge New Music Players, Vision Saxophon Quartet, basel sinfonietta and Moscow New Music Ensemble. As a composer, he likes to concentrate on tuned sounds/noises and anatomic rhythms (heart pulse, breathing patterns, etc.). His output ranges from solo works to orchestral works and can be viewed under compositions.
As a saxophonist, Mejer concentrated himself on the contrabass-saxophone and on playing in ‚Bass’-Ensembles like KONTRA-Trio (a Trio for ultra low wind instruments), TwoTubax (a Duo with Peter A. Schmid), Nashi Dela (contemporary Russian ‘Songs’), Masul (a Duo with Paul Giallorenzo) and the Chicago based wind ensembles 774th Street Quartet and Keefe Jackson’s Likely So.
With the KONTRA-Trio, he was touring in Scandinavia, England, Russia and Indonesia and appeared 2017 at the festival Two Days Two Nights in Odessa as well as at the Festival of electronic music VOX ELECTRONICA in Lemberg. They recorded works written for the Ensemble by prestigious composers such as Phil Niblock, Alvin Lucier or Frank Denyer.
As an Improviser he played with Martin Schütz, Fredy Studer, Michael Zerang, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Keefe Jackson and many more.
Mejer received several prizes, a.o. Werkbeitrag 1993 and 1998 from city and county of Lucerne: 2004 studio space in Chicago from the Sister Cities Trust; 2013 he obtained the possibility to travel for 2 month with a camper through the balkan, thanks to Pfeifer Mobil Trust; In the Fall of 2017, he received the A Landis&Gyr studio space 2017 in Budapest as well as 2019 in London allowed him to concentrate on his compositions, amongst other works a new stage piece with texts from José Saramago.
Mejer is teaching part time at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Lucerne and covers for their library the subject area jazz, ethno and pop/rock. His musical base is Lucerne, where he lives with wife and son.
Publication and Discography
His compositions are published at Schweizerischen Musikedition.
CD’s are available on labels such as earup, Leo Records, Mode Records or Tzadik.
Studies and Further Educations
| 1979-1983 | Saxophone with Urs Leimgruber, Theory with Peter Sigrist a.o. (Jazzschule Luzern) |
| 1985-1989 | Saxophone with Marcus Weiss, Theory with Josef Estermann a.o. (Konservatorium Luzern, incl. diploma SMPV 5) |
| 1989-1990 | Composition with Frank Denyer and Saxophone with Mick Green (Dartington College of Art, UK) |
| 1989-1991 | International Summerschool, Dartington GB 1989 composition with Anthony Powers (Cardiff); 1990 "advanced composition" with Per Nørgard (Denmark) and 1991 with Vinko Globokar (Paris) |
| 1991-1992 | postgrad. study in composition with Philip Grange (Exeter University, UK, incl. Masters of Music) |
| 1992+1994 | Darmstädter Kurse für Neue Musik |
| 1994-1996 | postgrad. study in composition with Michael Finnissy (Sussex University, UK, incl. Ph.D in Music) |
| 1998 | Mastercourse at IMF Lucerne with Heinz Holliger |
Scholarships and Awards
| 1990 | Winner of a bursary/scholarship for "advanced composition" with Per Nørgard, Denmark, at the International Summer School, Dartington, UK. |
| 1991 | Bursary of "Schweizerischen Tonkünstlerverein" for a study in composition with Philip Grange at Exeter University, GB |
| 1992 | Prize for composition from "Marianne and Curt Dieneman-Trust" |
| 1993 | "Werkbeitrag " from "Town and County of Lucerne" for the composition of the Saxophonquartet "Sulpizianische Bilderwelt" |
| 1995 | Scholarship from "Jubiläumsstiftung SVB" for a study in composition with Michael Finnissy at Sussex University, GB |
| 1998 | "Werkbeitrag " from "Town and County of Lucerne" in the domaine of "Theatrical Music" for the stage opera "Macula Matris" |
| 2003 | Artist residency in Chicago (Sponsered by Sister Cities trust) |
| 2013 | 2 month travel with campervan through Balkan Region, thanks to Pfeifer Mobil Trust |
| 2017 | Studio grant Budapest by Landis & Gyr Trust |
| 2019 | Studio grant London by Landis & Gyr Trust |
