Thomas Dobler - Vibraphone / Percussion

 

International soloist in classical, jazz and world music.

Arranger, composer and band leader.

Lecturer and head of jazz department at "Haute Ecole de Musique HEMU" in Lausanne (Switzerland).

Artistic director of the "Accra Jazz Academy" in Ghana. 

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Thomas Dobler plays RESTA-JAY Signature Vibe Mallets www.resta-percussions.com

and a BV35 BERGERAULT vibraphone www.bergerault.com

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Thomas Dobler was born in Zurich in 1978.

After studying classical percussion at the conservatories of Zurich and Strasbourg, as well as jazz 

in Paris, he focus on the vibraphone as his main instrument.

 

From an early age, he is familiar with a wide variety of musical styles and genres, including jazz, latin

and afro-cuban music, classical, baroque, contemporary, world music, rock and pop.

He relized over 200 recordings for various radio stations including the BBC, Radio France, RAI, MDR,

BR, ORF, SRF, RTS.

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In 2011, he was named one of the "Top Ten Vibists" in the US Jazz Station Poll.

In 1998 he won the European CHAIN competition for interpretation of contemporary music.

In 2009 he won the Swiss Jazz Award.

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Thomas has extensive experience as a classical orchestral musician. From 1996 to 2007 he performed with various Swiss symphony orchestras, notably with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, working with an eminent group of conductors including Mariss Jansons, Georg Solti, Gennadij Rosdetwiensky, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Armin Jordan, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Charles Dutoit and David Zinman with whom he

recorded numerous CDs.

1998-2005 he performed and recorded as a marimba und vibes player with leading chamber music ensembles, working with comtempory composers such as Luciano Berio, Wolfgang Rihm,

Georgy Kurtag, Heinz Holliger.

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Since 2003 Thomas performes as a classical soloist with various symphony orchestras including the

MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, Düsseldorf Festival Orchestra, Zürcher Kammerorchester,

Camerata Bern, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur.

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As a jazzman and bandleader, he has toured and recorded extensively over the past 25 years. Many of his projects lie between classical and jazz, in interdisciplinary fields that merge with different styles. Notably from 2005 to 2010 with the group "classXXX" including Daniel Schnyder (sax),

Daniel Pezzotti (vc) and Georg Breinschmid (b).

And above all with his own ensemble "Thomas Dobler's New Baroque".

Founded in 2014, this international chamber music ensemble performs major Baroque works in

original interpretations, leaving space for improvisation, jazz and world music. 

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Another important focus is the "Great American Songbook". 

Mostly as a bandleader, but also as a guest soloist, Thomas  played with many great Jazz musicians

such as Reggie Johnson (bass), George Robert (sax), Dado Moroni (piano), Andy Scherrer (sax)

and many others.

From 2009 to 2014 he toured and recorded in Duo with American pianist Kenny Drew Jr.

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Thomas Dobler performed in several interdisciplinary projects including actors and dancers (notably with soloists from the Ballet Béjart). He also wrote the music for several radio plays for Swiss German Radio SRF.

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Since 2009, he realized many projects in Europe and Ghana, linked to the music of Western Africa.

Notably with his group Afro Jazz group "African Vibes" as well as with the percussion ensemble

"Ayekoo Drummers Of Ghana". 

 

In 2023, he creates the "Accra Jazz Academy" in collaboration with the "Ghana Jazz Foundation" and

the Jazz Club +233 in Accra.

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