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🎼 About Me.

​      Brian Questa, MA, M.Mus. (b. 1988, New York City) is a double bassist, composer, and artist currently based in the west of Ireland. His practice spans contemporary classical performance, traditional Irish music, jazz, and electroacoustic composition. With a deep commitment to cross-genre exploration and collaborative creation, Brian’s work bridges musical traditions with experimental practices.

      After a decade immersed in New York City's jazz and improvised music scenes—performing with artists such as Han Bennink, Mary Halvorson, Tony Malaby, and Wynton Marsalis—Brian relocated to Europe to deepen his compositional and sonic research. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and HMdK Stuttgart, with studies under Wolfgang Rihm and work with Ensemble Modern.

      His compositions and installations have been featured internationally, including at the Japan Media Arts Festival (twice receiving Special Jury Recognition), ISEA Korea, Centro de Cultura Digital in Mexico City, and the International Computer Music Conference. He has been in residence at the Akademie der Künste Berlin, Lithuanian Composers Union, and Kultivera (Sweden), among others.

     Brian’s music has been presented by Riot Ensemble, Badische Staatskapelle, Sfera Ensemble, and Melos Collective, and performed at festivals such as the Darmstadt Summer Courses, Seoul International Computer Music Festival, Zagreb Biennale, and Kintai Music Festival.

     Now living in Sligo, Brian is actively engaging with Ireland’s traditional music community, exploring new roles for the double bass within this cultural context, while continuing to create and perform internationally.

🎓 Education

  • 🎶 MA, Sound Art & Computer Music — Kunstuniversität Graz, Austria, 2021

  • 🧠 MMus, Composition — HMdK Stuttgart, Germany, 2017

  • ✍️ Composition studies with Wolfgang Rihm — HfM Karlsruhe, Germany, 2016–2017

  • 🎻 BMus, Classical Double Bass — Manhattan School of Music, NYC, 2010

🎤 Selected Performance Experience

  • 🎻 Sligo Baroque Orchestra — Double Bassist, 2025–Present

  • 🎶 Galway Arts Festival (w/ Stephen O’Dowd) — 2025

  • 🎷 Featured Artist, Derry Jazz Festival — 2025

  • 🎼 Ensemble Modern Wien w/ Gerd Kühr, Graz — 2021

  • 🥁 Han Bennink Trio, Berlin — 2014

  • 🎵 Solo Concert, Spectrum NYC — 2013 

  • 🎺 LaGuardia Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, USA — 2007

🎧 Selected Art and Composition Performances

  • 🇱🇹 Kintai Music Festival, Lithuania — 2022

  • 🇭🇷 Zagreb Biennale, Croatia — 2019

  • 🇩🇪 Darmstädter Ferienkurse — 2018

  • 🇰🇷 ISEA, South Korea — 2019

  • 🇲🇽 Centro de Cultura Digital, Mexico City — 2019

  • 🇰🇷 Seoul Computer Music Festival — 2017

  • 🇩🇪 ZKM Next Generation, Germany — 2017

🏡 Residencies

  • 🇱🇹 Lithuanian Composers Union — 2022

  • 🇩🇪 Electronic Music Studio, Akademie der Künste Berlin — 2021

  • 🇸🇪 Kultivera, Sweden — 2019

🏆 Awards

  • 🎖 Japan Media Arts Festival, Official Jury Selection — 2021, 2019

🎬 Film Music

  • All In (dir. Binha Haase), Bis in Alle Ewigkeit (dir. Anna Mangelsdorf) — 2022

  • Windpark (dir. Lisann Greiner-Bechert) — 2021 

  • A Film About a Thin on a Table, Demeter, (dir. Serban Ionescu) — 2013, 2021

© 2023 by Brian Joseph Questa

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