Thomas Offermann

Prof. Dr. Thomas Offermann began to play the guitar at the age of seven. As a soloist, with orchestras, as a chamber musician in different ensembles and together with the internationally outstanding Duo Sonare Thomas travelled to more than 40 countries worldwide. He has had concerts and master classes, he is a jury member and he lectures at important international guitar festivals and at numerous international music universities.
He has numerous international radio and TV productions and eight CD recordings with Duo Sonare. Together with Duo Sonare; since 1985 Thomas was among the first to open the repertoire of the classical guitar to music by composers such as Chick Corea, Frank Zappa or Mike Oldflield.
After his severe illness in 1996, Thomas gave up playing concerts in 2002. Ever since, he has focused his interest on teaching, writing, conducting and holding lectures at guitar festivals and universities.
As a D’Addario Artist, since 2010 Thomas represents D’Addario Strings/New York as D’Addario’s “European classical guitar representative”.
He completed his Doctorate in 2014 (Dr. phil.); the title of his dissertation is: “The integrative guitar technique”. He studied at the Musikhochschule Köln (classes of Tadashi Sasaki and Hubert Käppel), and graduated “with distinction”. Thomas was also awarded the “Solistendiplom der Musikakademie Basel” (Class of Oscar Ghiglia). Some of his later teachers are: AMADEUS–String Quartett, Manuel Barrueco, Leo Brouwer, David Russell, Karl Scheit, John Williams.
Thomas was awarded several scholarships by the DAAD and was also awardee of the “Richard-Doerken-Stiftung”; he was a finalist and prizewinner at several international guitar competitions (International Scandinavian Guitar Competition, Finland, Certamen International „Andres Segovia“ and Certamen International „Francisco Tárrega“, Spain).