Erika Radermacher

Erika Radermacher, born in Eschweiler on 16 April 1936, is a German-born performer and composer who spent much of her career in Switzerland. She trained as a pianist in Cologne and Vienna, where she won prizes of note in Germany and Austria before performing throughout Europe.

Following her marriage to the Swiss composer Urs Peter Schneider, she moved to Switzerland and was appointed professor at the Bern Conservatory. She is a member of the contemporary music group Ensemble Neue Horizonte, also based in Bern. As a singer, experimental improvisation occupies a central place in her interests. She began composing in the 1970s, and several of her works have been recorded by Swiss radio.

Her compositions include the opera Das Tanzlegendchen (1990), a Concerto grosso for strings (1987–1988) and Der Tod des Empedokles for two pianos with optional ensemble or orchestra (1992), as well as a considerable number of chamber works. Her output thus brings together performance, singing and composition in a career closely linked to the contemporary Central European scene.