Christoph König
Violin, Viola
He never wanted to limit himself to just one musical genre, so even before beginning his classical violin studies with Prof. W. Rausch, Christoph had already explored just about everything: from jazz to orchestral repertoire, klezmer, chamber music, and punk rock. Not just on the violin but also on the electric guitar.
One thing, however, quickly became clear to him: His true passion is improvisation! He went on to study jazz with star violinist Didier Lockwood in Paris and saxophonist Matthias Nadolny. His experiences with some of the most important figures in Gypsy swing (including Lulo Reinhardt, Kussi Weiss, and Mario Adler) have shaped Christoph’s playing just as much as modern jazz and his classical roots.
Christoph, who has already performed concerts with pioneers of the jazz violin such as Florin Niculescu and the two-time Grammy Award-winning “Turtle Island Quartet”, is at home on stages all over the world. In addition to Uwaga!, he also leads his own projects, such as the jazz string quartet “Hot Club of St. Pauli” and the “Christoph König Quartet.”
Maurice Maurer
Violin
At the age of 14, Maurice began studying classical violin with Prof. Wolfgang Rausch. Honored with various awards and recipient of numerous scholarships, he seemed well on his way to a classical violin career from an early age.
His “second education,” however, took a less classical turn: As the frontman of his family’s salon trio, which performed an Eastern European repertoire, he discovered his talents as a virtuoso “devil’s fiddler” and “showman.”
Maurice’s love of classical music and his free, Gypsy-inspired approach to the violin are always in tension, yet never in conflict: Even while still a student, he performed simultaneously in Gypsy bands and classical ensembles at the highest level, including as concertmaster and soloist with the RIAS Youth Orchestra in China’s largest concert halls, as a a prize winner of the International YouTube Symphony Orchestra Competition at Carnegie Hall, and as a regular guest musician in renowned orchestras such as the RSO Frankfurt and the Dortmund Philharmonic.
Miroslav Nisic
Accordion
At just four years old, Miroslav received his first accordion as a gift. From then on, he roamed the alleys of his Serbian hometown, singing and playing, and enchanted its residents. His great talent was recognized early on and thoroughly nurtured. Even during his training, Miroslav practiced not only Serbian folk music but also classical music. In both disciplines, he quickly reached a high level of proficiency and won numerous competitions, including international ones, such as the “Citta di Castelfidardo” and the “Acco Holiday.” Miroslav also emerged victorious from the “Prva Harmonika - Sokobanja,” the most important competition for traditional Serbian music. With his first solo CD, released shortly thereafter, on which he played all the instruments himself, he laid the foundation for his active, highly acclaimed concert career.
To further expand his broad classical repertoire, Miroslav studied under renowned accordionists such as Pavel Fenyuk, Vladimir Murza, Nikolai Davidov, and Janne Rättyä, and eventually began studying with Mie-Miki at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. At the same time, however, he also turned his attention to jazz and rock and developed his very own improvisational style, which combines many influences yet always exudes a Balkan flair.
At just 20 years old, Miroslav became the youngest member of Uwaga! in December 2012.
Jakob Kühnemann
Double bass
Jakob Kühnemann started playing guitar at age eight; it took him just as long to realize that six strings were too much for him. Since then, this simple-minded bassist has managed to muddle his way through his career. Playing here is his boldest move yet.
Somehow, Jakob Kühnemann studied jazz double bass and composition at the Cologne University of Music and the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris, taking lessons from Dieter Manderscheid, Detlef Beier, Martin Wind, and Riccardo Del Fra, among others.
Together with Ukrainian singer Tamara Lukasheva, he won the Young German Jazz Prize in 2014, the New German Jazz Prize in 2017, and was a recipient of the Keep an Eye Jazz Award in 2015 in Amsterdam. Concert tours have taken him not only to nearly every country in Europe but also to West Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.