Connecting past and future in the present is a central theme for Georg Kröll. This aspect is not only of importance for the creative output of the German composer, who was born in Linz am Rhein on 3 May 1934, but also for his work in Hombroich. Since the first Inselfestival was held in 1986, he has served as artistic consultant to the programme, with a particular focus on New Music.
Georg Kröll attended Musikhochschule Köln between 1953 and 1962, studying piano under Else Schmitz-Gohr and composition under Frank Martin and Bernd Alois Zimmermann. On several occasions between 1960 and 1964, he took part in Darmstädter Ferienkurse – an international contemporary classical music event taking place every summer in Darmstadt – and the International Music Week festival organised by the Gaudeamus Foundation in the Netherlands. At this time, he also became active as a pianist, interpreting New Music and playing as a chamber musician and accompanist. Having received the City of Cologne’s Förderpreis award in 1962, Kröll was given a scholarship to Villa Massimo in Rome in 1969/70. As well as this, his Tagebuch für Klavier collection won the German Music Edition Prize in 1999.
Since 1970, he has lived in Cologne, where he was a member of composers association Gruppe 8 between 1969 and 1972, and lectured in composition and music theory at the Rheinische Musikschule up until 1997.
The Georg Kröll archive in Hombroich contains sketches, drafts and manuscripts of his sheet music and also recordings and publications of his earlier works. The catalogue of his works gives an insight into the material included here. Further sketches, drafts and score manuscripts can be found in the archive of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.