Traces of Sound

André Meisner works at the intersections of contemporary jazz, the Armenian duduk tradition and experimental formats — often exactly where these worlds do not meet by themselves.

Saxophone

His first musical home was jazz. Formative teachers included Olaf Molderings, Harald Königs and Remy Filipovitch, followed by studies and workshops with Claudius Valk, Matthias Nadolny and Matt Renzi. In 2009 he received the scholarship for jazz saxophone in Laurino, Italy, under the direction of George Garzone, and in the same year won an award at jazzwerkruhr with the band Tonspur. In Duisburg he initiated the experimental concert series Druck im Raum with Jan Klare and Electronic Cabinet. In 2012 his solo album Kreatur was released on Mons Records — pure saxophone sounds, effects and live looping.

For many years, Kulturprojekte Niederrhein e. V. has provided an important framework for collaborations and experimental formats in the region.

Duduk

His encounter with the duduk came through Jazzpiya, the band of Kurdish singer Necati Teyhani. What began as quiet curiosity developed into a long-term engagement with Armenia’s national instrument: journeys to Armenia in 2017, 2024 and 2025, regular exchange and lessons with Arsen Petrosyan, an instructive encounter with Gevorg Dabaghyan, and from 2018 to 2022 studies with duduk master Hovhannes Margaryan of the National Duduk Ensemble of Armenia.

In 2021 he founded the German Duduk Association, serving as its first chair, with the aim of carrying the instrument into the 21st century — without forgetting tradition and without ignoring the present. The association’s activities now continue under the umbrella of Kulturprojekte Niederrhein e. V. This attitude has led to a wide range of collaborations, including a guest appearance with the Trickster Orchestra and work with songwriters such as Tom Liwa.

Current Focus

A central focus is Ensemble Lignum Vitae around Armenian violinist Lilit Tonoyan, with cellist Davit Melkonyan, double bassist Jonas Dunkel and Giuseppe Mautone on bodhrán and percussion. The album Krunk – Armenian Secular Music (KALEIDOS Musikeditionen, 2024) is dedicated to the Armenian folk-song tradition in Tonoyan’s own arrangements, based on the collections of Komitas and the repertoire of singer Hayrik Muradyan.

A second focus is Numaqam — a long-standing crossover project with guitarist Gürsoy Tanç, originally born from beats and live improvisation. In the extended line-up Numaqam Akustika, Fethi Ak on percussion and Alex Morsey on double bass join as guest musicians.

Milestones

Festivals: incl. Moers Festival · Traumzeitfestival · Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
International projects: incl. Oddgeir Berg Trio (Norway) · In Albedo (Lithuania) · Melting Pot / European Jazz Network (Poland); concerts in Belgium, France, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands and Switzerland
Media: CD, TV and radio productions for WDR, Deutschlandradio Kultur, Sterk TV and others