Stefan Schultze (*1979, Germany) is a composer and pianist and one of the most multifaceted and original musicians to come out of the German jazz scene. Schultze studied piano and composition in Cologne and New York. He occupies the interface between new music, improvisation, and jazz. His artistic projects cover a spectrum of compositions for small and large ensembles, from leading larger ensemble formations to initiating and producing projects on national and international stages. His compositions explore and translate music from a myriad of contexts, opening new sonic territories and transcending genres.

Stefan Schultze has founded and led a number of award-winning ensembles and worked with many important musicians and orchestras such as the Metropole Orchestra and the WDR Big Band. In 2022, Deutschlandfunk produced his album The Buchla Suite – A Handcrafted Tribute to Morton Subotnick. His recent solo work, Hyperplexia, incorporating electronics, visuals, and a mechanical piano player premiered at Moers Festival in 2024. Other recent projects include The Pulsepusher Suite for prepared piano and his well-received solo debut album System Tribe. Stefan has received numerous commissions, scholarships, residencies, and grants. With long-term cooperation partners such as the Goethe Institute and the German Foreign Office, he has toured and been awarded residencies worldwide. Stefan Schultze is a professor and heads the Master’s program for music composition in contemporary jazz at Bern Academy of the Arts HKB, Switzerland.