Esther Flückiger, an italian-based native of Switzerland, is a pianist and composer and known for her ability to connect different musical worlds and art. Her creative ideas are unlimited and she is continuously experimenting new musical directions and emotional music challenges, avoiding previous musical paths. She focuses on the interpretation of contemporary and traditional music, free improvisation and electronic music. She plays with different stylistic directions both solo and in ensemble. Few artists like her feel comfortable playing improvised or composed music in concert halls, jazz clubs or unfamiliar places and spheres.
She performs in Europe, the USA, Russia, Asia, South America, New Zealand and South Africa at traditional, contemporary and experimental music festivals also as a soloist with orchestra.
As a composer she wrote and got commissions for works for different kinds of instruments and electronic, for music theatre and films. She has also created many interdisciplinary projects producing her own films (camera/editing) and getting both public and printing review success. One of them is Cosmo (The 4 elements in Leonardo da Vinci’s universo), a project for the EXPO 2015 in Milan at the Franco Parenti Teatre. Collaborations with musicians such as John Wolf Brennan, Lucas Niggli, Ferdinando Faraò, , Rose-Marie Soncini, Trio Flair, Lukas Ligeti, Irène Schweizer, Massimo Mazzoni, Giovanna Barbati,Nonku Phiri, Orchestra Artchipel, The Thinkers (Volley Nchabeleng and Mabeleng Moholo) and many others.
She created numerous interdisciplinary projects, among others with Gianluca Ruggeri, Anna Clementi, Pietro Pirelli, Camilla Barbarito (musicians) Anna Felder, Eveline Hasler, Toni Maraini (writers) Susana Talayero, Karin Eggers, Luca Mengoni, Art Moleto (artists)
Pamela Olivieri, Antonella Morassutti Marco Pagani (actor) a.o.
She was a professor in pianoteaching at the faculty of music at the Einstein Gymnasium Aarau (CH) and gave workshops at universities in Switzerland, Germany and Italy.
She has recorded CDs for record labels such as Nuova Era, Pentaphon, Altrisuoni, Leorecords, Esperia, Pianoversal, Elektramusic and more. In addition, she has participated in television and radio programes in Switzerland and Italy.
She is in the board of AGON Milan (research center for electronic music and new technologies).https://agon.news
She has founded the Associazione ”Suonodonne” which committed to the spreading of music by female composers. She has regularly organized the Festival “Fra Nord e Sud” in Milan, Rome and Bern since 1995.
Five years ago she decided to disband the Associazione in favor of her own projects
From 2002 till 2008 she represented Europe as an executive member of the IAWM (International Alliance for Women in Music), USA.
In 2022, her work “Guarda i lumi” for violin and piano was selected by the International Jury of the ISCM to represent Switzerland at the World New Music Days in New Zealand.
In november and december 2023, she was awarded a research trip to South Africa by the Swiss cultural foundation Pro Hevetia. She realized several different projects there with South African musicians and also recorded the Album “BushAppeal“ with Volley Nchabeleng and Mabeleng Moholo.
In November 2024 she recorded an album with Nonku Phiri in collaboration with Riccardo Mazza.
The book “Esther Flückiger – A proposito di Lei” by Iaia Gagliani provides an insight into her work as a musician in word and picture.