SoundTrack_Cologne 23 Program
Download now!
Download
- All
- AcadeMeet
- AI Music Con
- Competitions
- Concert
- Film
- Games
- Matchmaking
- Music Politics
- Networking
- Reality Check
- Receptions
- See the Sound
- TV-Series
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
Sonic Improvibing - an improvisational scoring approach for audiovisual media
Workshop
14:00-18:00 · O-Ton.koelnIn this workshop, taking place at the recording studio o-ton (80 square meters A-room, fully equipped with a stage, Grand Piano, Amps, a Drum set, a PA system and 4k projector), participants will explore the method to work out a live performance of a score for a short film under the guidance of acclaimed independent film composer Nathan Larson (High Fidelity, Big Men, The Woodsman).
Participants will receive a link to a short film approx. 4 weeks in advance of the workshop. They are invited to work out a unique way of creating sound: This may involve anything from cigar boxes with rubber bands and mistreated pizza trays to microphone setups, effects and a PA.
With:
Host:Read More
Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
In Cooperation with Universität Kassel
SoundTrack_Cologne 23 Official Opening
Followed by a reception
19:00-22:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
With:
Host:
Boxed Ape (The Casting of Frank Stone · Horizon Call of the Mountain · Beyond a Steel)
Workshop Discussion
10:30-11:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIALondon-based duo Boxed Ape (Alistair Kerley & Frankie Harper) work spans major AAA titles and acclaimed indie productions alike Horizon Call of the Mountain · The Casting of Frank Stone · Beyond a Steel Sky.
With:
Host:
Maclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2 · Rock Band · Wildgate)
Workshop Discussion
12:00-13:00 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAMaclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2 · Rock Band · Wildgate) is a two-time nominee for the Game Music Award at the World Soundtrack Awards and a 2025 nominee for Best Original Score for Interactive Media by the Society of Composers and Lyricists.
With:
Host:
Iwana Dzoic
Zanshin (Lightfield)
Workshop Discussion
14:30-15:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAZanshin is a multifaceted electronic artist whose distinctive approach to sound design and synthesis has informed work across both music and games (Lightfield).
In addition to the panel and roundtable, Zanshin will perform live at 674FM Konzertraum on the evening of 15 July.
With:
Host:
Games Roundtable Discussion with Boxed Ape, Maclaine Diemer, Zanshin and Nainita Desai
Host: Helge Borgarts
16:00-17:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAJoining Boxed Ape, Maclaine Diemer and Zanshin is Emmy Award-winning composer Nainita Desai, whose remarkable work spans BAFTA-winning games (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II), major streaming productions (American Murder - The Family Next Door) and acclaimed feature films and documentaries (For Sama · The Reason I Jump · Nocturnes).
Together, all five composers will participate in a roundtable discussion, hosted by composer Helge Borgarts, exploring the artistry, challenges, and innovations shaping the world of game composition.
With:
Host:
Film & TV Case Study
10:30-11:30 · STUDIO • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Film & TV Case Study
12:00-13:00 · STUDIO • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Film & TV Case Study
14:30-15:30 · STUDIO • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
With:
Host:
Begrüßung
mit Yevgeni Birkhoff, Präsidium LMR NRW; Dr. Nicola Hülskamp, Referatsleiterin Neue Künste, Digitalisierung, Wandel durch Kultur, Landeskulturbericht, Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft NRW; Michael P. Aust, SoundTrack_Cologne
10:00-10:15 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Keynotes on AI Topics
10:15-10:45 · DIE EINS • COMEDIA1. DIGITAL UPRISE – How to reclaim the Internet from Big Tech.
Digital monopolies are bringing ever larger parts of our lives under their control. The platforms are increasingly dominating the formation of political opinion and at the same time abolishing our free market economy. Digital expert Martin Andree shows with precision how far the hostile takeover of our society by tech giants has already progressed – and how we can take back the internet.
2. "The Threat of AI Abundance to Cultural Diversity".
With:
Host:
Roundtable: Cultural Diversity in Times of AI
with Prof. Dr. Martin Andree, Universität Köln; Prof. Dr. Francisco Tigre Moura, IU; Dr. Morena Piro, Hildesheim
10:45-11:30 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Roundtable: Rights Attribution for AI Works
with Michael Duderstädt, GEMA; Helienne Lindvall, ECSA; Dr. S. Dennis Engbrink, LL.M. Head of Media and Entertainment, Zirngibl Rechtsanwälte, Berlin
12:00-13:00 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
KI und Zukunft: Neu am Start: Das NRW Kompetenznetzwerk K3 KI.Kunst.Kultur
mit Dr. Philipp Bojahr und Maja Stark
14:30-15:00 · DIE EINS • COMEDIANeu am Start: Das NRW Kompetenznetzwerk K3 - KI.Kunst.Kultur
With:
Host:
AI and Future: Delphos
with Ilya Tolchenov, Delphos
15:00-15:30 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
AI and Future: Future Developments of AI Tools - AI Models That Are Not Yet Products
with Yevgeni Birkhoff
16:00-16:30 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAAI Models That Are Not Yet Products
With:
Host:
Fazit
with Dr. Philipp Bojahr, Köln; Prof. Dr. Florian Hollerweger, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln; Prof. Dr. Anna Schürmer, FU Berlin
16:30-17:15 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
With:
Host:
Algorithmic Audio: From the History of Generative AI Music to Coding your Own Web-Sound Application in p5.js
with Varun Desai, Artist and Creative Coder
10:15-11:30 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAPART 1 — 15 Min.:
Introduction & History Timeline: From Algorithmic Music to Generative AI - A decade-by-decade evolutionary breakdown with historical screenshots:
- 1950s–1970s: Mainframe experiments.
- 1980s–1990s: Rule-based AI, MIDI, and David Cope's EMI.
- 2000s–2010s: Markov chains, statistical models, and Flow Machines.
- 2020s: Modern deep learning, Neural Audio Synthesizers, and Transformers.
Edge AI: High-Compute vs. Low-Compute Paradigms Contrasting cloud-based, multi-GPU audio models with ultra-low-power systems. Features a case study on deploying a lightweight AI sequence patch onto an ESP32 microcontroller watch.
PART 2 — 60 Min.:
Hands-On Technical Workshop - Interactive Web-Sound Application An interactive, browser-based coding workshop utilizing p5.js and neural networks:
- Introduction to p5.js & Web Audio: Converting traditional melodies into formats a neural network can read, mapping musical notes into numerical MIDI sequences and Quantized Steps.
- Introduction to AI Coding Syntax: Loading a cloud-hosted, pre-trained Deep Learning architecture (Google Magenta’s MelodyRNN, which utilizes a sequence-prediction framework similar to WaveNet).
- Conditioning the Model: Seeding the live neural network with custom numeric melody sequences and tweaking the creativity "temperature" parameters to control model variance.
- Creating a Generative Pattern: Executing the model’s inference engine live to dynamically generate extensions of the input melody, synthesizing the output into real-time sound via native web oscillators.
With:
Host:
Update AI, Hands-On Workshop
with Martin Villiger and Yevgeni Birkhoff
12:00-13:00 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Update AI + Law: AI Transparency and Content Labelling: How to Implement the New EU Obligations
with Dr. S. Dennis Engbrink LL.M. Head of Media and Entertain- ment, Zirngibl Rechtsanwälte, Berlin · Mod.: Martin Villiger
14:30-15:00 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAImplementation of the EU Regulation on Transparency Requirements for AI Usage
With:
Host:
AI Tools: Mirelo
with Stefan Schieber, Mirelo
15:00-15:30 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
AI Tools: Case Study · Life of Christ In Song
16:00-16:30 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAArranging and recording AI generated music for a film musical with an orchestra.
With:
Host:In cooperation with Musiversal
AcadeMeet IMMSANE Greeting
10:00-10:30 · DIE DREI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
AcadeMeet
10:30-11:30 · DIE DREI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
Public
12:00-13:00 · Halle • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
KI in Breitenkultur + Musikpädagogik, Workshop
mit Prof. Dr. Kerstin Weuthen, Dekanin Robert-Schumann-Hochschule für Musik, Düsseldorf
14:30-15:00 · DIE DREI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
KI in Musikpädagogik & Breitenkultur, Talk: Wieviel KI braucht die Musikpädagogik?
mit Antje Valentin, Generalsekretärin DMR, Prof. Dr. Anna Schürmer, FU Berlin, Thomas Hanz, Landesverband der Musikschulen, Prof. Dr. Kerstin Weuthen, Dekanin Robert-Schumann-Hochschule für Musik, Düsseldorf
15:00-15:30 · DIE DREI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
AI Tools Workshop: Open-Source Software For Artistic- Creative Work With AI In Music And Dance
15:45-16:30 · DIE DREI • COMEDIA• Magenta Studio Plug-Ins for Ableton
Live
• OpenVINO Ai Plug-Ins for Audacity
• Wekinator: building musical interfaces
with machine-learning
With:
Host:
Speedmatching
10:00-10:30 · Terrace • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
AcadeMeet IMMSANE Café
Public
12:00-13:00 · Halle • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Iwana Dzoic
Game Music Composer Concert with Zanshin
In cooperation with Game Music Composer Concerts
19:30-21:00 · 674FMExperience an immersive solo performance by Austrian artist Zanshin, known for his work with Ogris Debris and Depart. Expect live sound sculpting, electronic textures, and a journey that moves effortlessly between meditative introspection and ecstatic dancefloor energy.
Presented by Bob Humid & Uli Sigg.
We have a limited number of tickets for the concert for STC-accredited participants, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, tickets can be purchased here.
With:
Host:
mediamusic Networking Reception
21:30-23:00 · O-Ton.koelnWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
Sponsored by
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
Photo: Elina Simonen
HARPA Award winner Panu Aaltio
Workshop Discussion
10:30-11:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAFinnish composer Panu Aaltio received the 2026 HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award for the film Little Siberia. Aaltio is the only composer to have won the IFMCA Best Documentary Score award for all three films of a trilogy: Tale of a Forest (2013) · Tale of a Lake (2017) and Tale of the Sleeping Giants (2022).
With:
Host:
Nathan Larson
Workshop Discussion
12:00-13:00 · Roter Saal • COMEDIANathan Larson, whose acclaimed scores for films such as Boys Don't Cry · High Fidelity · Margin Call and The Woodsman, have established him as one of independent cinema's most distinctive voices.
With:
Host:
Mirjam Skal
Workshop Discussion
14:30-15:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAThe Swiss composer Mirjam Skal (Les Courageux) was recently honoured with the Rolf-Hans Müller Prize for Best Film Score (awarded for her soundtrack to the Tatort episode Of Apes and Men) and the German Documentary Film Music Award (Vracht).
With:
Host:
Christopher Young
Career Achievement Award Winner 2026 in talk
16:00-17:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAWith more than 160 film scores, that have made him one of the most versatile voices in contemporary film music, Christopher Young (Hellraiser to Spider-Man 3) will received this year the Career Achievement Award at SoundTrack_Cologne 23.
With:
Host:
Silent Film Concert
19:00-20:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAFrench cellist and composer Cécile Lacharme brings a bold new voice to Hanseaten (1925, dir. Gerhard Lamprecht), a freshly restored silent film portraying a Hamburg shipping dynasty navigating generational upheaval, featuring the world premiere of her original live score alongside the premiere of the film's restored version.
Lacharme's music is anything but traditional. Working with cello, a pedalboard, and real-time looping, she builds layered soundscapes that immerse the audience in a distinctive sound experience. Moving fluidly between minimal music, new music, improvisation, and electronics, Lacharme bridges the worlds of concert live performance and cinema.
In cooperation with the Deutsche Kinemathek.
With:
Host:
Reality Check Masterclass - "Kate Bush, a timeless genius" with Sonia Gonzalez
10:30-11:30 · STUDIO • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Track Check
12:00-13:00 · STUDIO • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Emerging Composers Showcase, sponsored by IMMSANE - AcadeMeet Screening
14:30-15:30 · STUDIO • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
With:
Host:
European Music Supervisors
10:30-11:30 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Scoring The Same Scene - Art, Library, Supervision & AI Compared
12:00-13:00 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Production Music and AI
14:30-15:30 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Meta Data Workshop
16:00-17:00 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAMetadata can make or break your chances of getting discovered and placed in audiovisual projects. In this one-hour workshop, Hanna-Greth Peetson, sync agent and music supervisor at Tier Music (Estonia), shares practical do’s and don’ts for setting up and using metadata effectively.
Participants can submit their metadata in advance for live analysis and feedback during the session. The workshop includes a short seminar, hands-on review, and a Q&A. Designed for artists, artist representatives, and sync agents, it offers clear, actionable tips to improve visibility and opportunities.
With:
Host:
Pitching & Presentation Training
10:30-11:30 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
Speedmatching
10:00-10:30 · Terrace • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Student Matchmaking
12:00-13:00 · Halle • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
Matchmaking for Women in Media & Music
14:30-15:30 · Halle • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
International Matchmaking
16:00-17:30 · Halle • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
Networking Lounge
Powered by Sonoton
21:00-23:55 · Terrace • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
Powered by Sonoton
Peer Raben Music Award · Screening
18:30-20:30 · ODEON Kino 2With:
Host:
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
With:
Host:
John Lunn
Workshop Discussion
10:30-11:30 · STUDIO • COMEDIAJohn Lunn’s music possesses a wonderfully unique voice that spans a wide spectrum of musical styles. Classically trained, yet contemporary in attitude, he combines a highly intelligent and sensitive approach, with a sound that always hits at the emotional heart of a piece. Matching the highest production values with a continual desire to discover new colours and sounds, it is not hard to see why John is continuously in such high demand. He is probably best known for scoring the hugely successful flagship ITV/Carnival Films drama, Downton Abbey, for which he has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, in 2012 and 2013, a further nomination in 2014, two BAFTA nominations in 2012 & 2016.
With:
Host:
Natalie Hausmann
Workshop Discussion
12:00-13:00 · STUDIO • COMEDIANatalie Hausmann is a cologne based composer for filmmusic, theatre & concert music and an award winning jazzmusician.
Since 2020 she has composed original scores for modern TV series e.g. the Amazon Prime Original „Perfekt Verpasst“ („The perfect Miss“ ) //„Start the fck up“// „ETHNO“ and more, as well as for crime drama like „Wilsberg“.
Recently the Young Adult comedy series "Mermaids to Lovers" (Warner, RTL+) premiered in June 2026 @ Seriencamp Cologne. For this score, she has combined Neo - 80ies sounds with Indie Rock and the Original Score Album is now available.
With:
Host:
Film Scoring in Germany vs. Europe: Production Practices Compared
In Cooperation with Initiative Musik
14:30-15:30 · STUDIO • COMEDIAHow is film music created under different production conditions across Europe? And what influence do national production cultures, budgets and international collaborations have on the creative process – and ultimately on the sound of a film?
This panel explores the different ways film scoring is approached, organised and prioritised across Europe. While some productions are strongly shaped by schedules, budgets, and efficient workflows, in other contexts greater emphasis may be placed on the artistic development of the score. The discussion focuses on how artistic freedom can be reconciled with the demands of efficient production structures and collaborative decision-making processes.
Drawing on different perspectives from across the production chain, German film composer Freya Arde, French composer Clémentine Charuel, music supervisor Milena Fessmann and post-production supervisor Anne Urban will share insights into their work, creative processes and production realities.
The panel will be moderated by Katja Lucker, Managing Director of Initiative Musik.
With:
Host:In cooperation with Initiative Musik
Aisling Brouwer
16:00-17:00 · STUDIO • COMEDIAAisling Brouwer is a Dutch-Irish composer, producer, and artist based in London, whose darkly emotive scores build cinematic worlds that feel at once intimate and immense.
As one half of AVAWAVES - signed to One Little Independent Records, home to Björk, Ásgeir, and Laura Misch - Aisling co-scores the Apple TV+ series The Buccaneers, with two soundtrack albums on Interscope Records featuring their music alongside original songs by Sharon Van Etten, Gracie Abrams, Warpaint, Holly Humberstone, and Suki Waterhouse.
Her composing credits span film, television, and documentary for Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, BBC, National Geographic, and Amazon Prime. She scored Rubika Shah's Grierson Award-winning documentary White Riot and recently completed Shah's follow-up feature The Mad Dog of Europe, released in cinemas this year. Her scores have screened at Sundance, Tribeca, Berlinale, Cannes, and Venice.
With:
Host:
FLINTA Networks Meetup & WFCC Alumni
13:00-14:30 · Terrace • COMEDIAWith:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
Case Study: Sound for Sensitive Stories
Participatory Documentary HALIMA - HOW TO STAY STRONG
10:30-11:30 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAThe programme opens with sound designer Jenny Winter and director Linda Verweyen, both specialists in socially critical audiovisual projects. Their case study, Sound for Sensitive Stories, presented by BVFT, examines their work on the participatory documentary HALIMA – HOW TO STAY STRONG. Single tickets for the case study Sound for Sensitive Stories are available here.
With:
Host:
Sound Design & MusicCase Study: SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN)
12:00-13:00 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAThis case study offers an in-depth look at the collaboration between supervising sound designer Billie Mind and editor Evelyn Rack on SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN), winner of the Jury Prize at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in 2025. Mind and Rack received the ICS Award for Best Editing, along with nominations for the German Film Award, Mind for Best Sound and Rack for Best Editing. The panel will be hosted by Ulla Kösterke and presented by FILMTONFRAUEN. Single tickets for the case study SOUND OF FALLING are available here.
With:
Host:
Creating Your Own Sound World with Simon Goff
In conversation with Claudius Brüse
14:30-15:30 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAIn the afternoon, Grammy Award-winning composer, sound engineer and producer Simon Goff explores how to create your own sound world. His work on films such as WAVES and series such as THE GOLD has earned critical acclaim for its immersive, textural soundscapes and compositional depth. Goff has also collaborated with some of the world's most celebrated contemporary composers and musicians, including Hildur Guðnadóttir on JOKER and CHERNOBYL.
With:
Host:
Workshop: Object Based Sounddesign and Film-Sound-Stage-Mixing - Using Sequoia for the Underground Zombie-Series BLUTDRUCK
16:00-17:00 · DIE EINS • COMEDIAThe sound strand closes with Cologne-based composer, sound designer and DJ Robert Feuchtl, a.k.a. Bob Humid, offering an in-depth look at object-based sound design and mixing using the industry-leading DAW SEQUOIA by BORIX FX. Working through the pilot episode of the zombie series BLUTDRUCK, a genre where sound design is particularly demanding, Bob Humid demonstrates object-editing techniques for placing individual sounds into realistic spaces and adding subsonic room tones.
With:
Host:In cooperation with BORIS FX
Call my Agent
10:30-11:30 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
How Much Should I Take?
12:00-13:00 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Case Study: Music Contracts for Perfect Days
16:00-17:00 · DIE ZWEI • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Speedmatching
10:00-10:30 · Terrace • COMEDIAWith:
Host:
Blue Hour
In Cooperation with Initiative Musik
17:30-18:30 · Terrace • COMEDIATo round off the conference day, we at Initiative Musik would like to invite you to the Blue Hour Reception in the garden of the COMEDIA Theatre on Friday 17 July, from 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm. Over drinks and light refreshments, we look forward to getting together in a relaxed atmosphere, chatting and getting to know you. Just pop along. You don’t need an invitation; all you need is a valid conference ticket.
With:
Host:In cooperation with Initiative Musik
With:
Host:
European Talent Competition · Screening
10:30-11:30 · ODEON Kino 2With:
Host:
European Talent Competition · Screening
12:00-13:00 · ODEON Kino 2With:
Host:
Award Ceremony
Followed by a reception
19:00-23:30 · Roter Saal • COMEDIAEnjoy an evening of music from acclaimed films, TV series and video games, performed live by the Neues Rheinisches Kammerorchester Köln, conducted by Yati Durant, combined with the official SoundTrack_Cologne's Award Ceremony, open to the public once again this year.
Five awards will be presented during the event, including the Career Achievement Award to composer Christopher Young, one of the most prolific and versatile voices in contemporary film music.
The concert programme features scores by Christopher Young (Spider Man 3 · The Shipping News · Hellbound: Hellraiser II), Mirjam Skal (Vracht · Enjoy Your Stay · 111 - Echoes From Halifax), Aisling Brouwer (The Buccaneers · Child in a Box), Nathan Larson (Boys Don't Cry · High Fidelity · Margin Call), John Lunn (Downton Abbey · The Last Kingdom - 7 Kings Must Die) and Boxed Ape (The Casting of Frank Stone · Horizon Call of The Mountain).
With:
Host:Add to your calendar: Google Outlook
