Biography
Heinz Strobel, born in 1966 in Bingen, is a composer and performer of his own compositions on the classical guitar. He graduated with a music degree from the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt / Main. He took master classes with Manuel Barruseco, David Russell and Thomas Müller-Pering as well as William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant (“Los Angeles Guitar Quartet”).
In 1999 Strobel successfully completed his diploma at Frankfurt’s University of Music and Performing Arts, his main focus at this stage already being on composition. Encouraged by the Austrian composer Gerhard Schedl, his debut composition “Two Timing” was written that same year and straightaway reached third place at the Paolo Barsacchi competition for guitar compositions in 2000. The following year the town of Bingen awarded him their Culture Award for his solo piece “Time to Change” and for his arrangement of “Four Seasons”.
Strobel was founder and first guitarist of Frankfurt’s “Barrios Guitar Quartet” with which he won the famous competition “Simone Salmaso” in Viareggio, Italy, in 2000 for his arrangement of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” for four guitars. A recording of this work which was released on CD later that same year by the label Aurea Vox attracted considerable attention in professional circles. The ensemble released its second CD “Two Timing” (through “Acoustic Music Records”) in 2003, this time including some of Strobel’s original compositions.
In the following years he composed numerous works for guitar solo, guitar duos and quartets, as well as writing compositions for vocals with guitar, guitar orchestras, flute and guitar, organ with electric guitar, organ with electric and classical concert guitar, orchestra and a musical for children and adults.
In 2007 the album „Integration – Music for guitars“ was released. The album contains works for guitar solos and duos (together) with Bernd Maier. This was followed in 2010 by the CD “Roaming”, containing his own compositions for guitar solos. Also in 2010 and 2011 he composed and recorded the music for three audio books by the Frankfurt author Jürgen Roth
Since 2004 Strobel has been giving concerts either as a solo performer or as part of a duo together with the guitarist Bernd Maier, playing his own compositions only.
Heinz Strobel has also been the artistic director of the “R(h)einklang Gitarrenorchester Bingen” since 2008 and a member of the guitar trio “Encanto” since 2014.
In 2015 Strobel founded the “Heinz-Strobel-Project” with Bernd Maier. The “Heinz-Strobel-Project” combines modern sounds with traditional and classical elements as crossovers. Strobel and Maier musically fuse contrasting styles of Rock, Jazz and Classic, according to the principles of yin and yang. The contrary sound and character of electric guitar, keyboard, drums and classical concert guitar fuse together to become one.