BENGALURU: Born in 1978 into a musical family in Germany, guitarist Samuel Klemke developed an interest in music from an early age. He received his first guitar lessons from his father Tobias Klemke when he was only four years old.
As a musician, Klemke has toured across the globe including India. He has acquired three university degrees in music and had the opportunity to hone his skills under the tutelage of legends such as Pepe Romero, Manuel Barrueco, and David Russel.
“My father always encouraged me to play guitar since I was a little kid, so I consider him as my first teacher. He spiked my interest in the instrument in a playful way, unlike his journey, during which he sat in a room for 10 hours practicing guitar. After school, it was clear to me that I wanted to study music professionally. At Franz Liszt University, I learned music for several years with different professors and started off as a freelance musician,”says Klemke, whose first performance was as a six-year-old.
To date, Klemke has performed in more than 1,500 concerts, sometimes, with his sister Laura and father. When he was in class 10, he participated in the Youth Competition held in Germany. Since then, there has been no looking back for Klemke.
Even though the guitar is a popular musical instrument, it comes across as an exotic piece as it is not a part of the orchestra. Klemke mentions that he faced several challenges as a guitarist after commencing his journey. “There are many talented guitarists who have established themselves in the market. It was a sort of challenge because there were too many of us to perform at concerts. It created a zeal in me to give my best and stand out,”says the 42-year-old.
Klemke’s interest isn’t confined to guitar only. “There is always so much to learn from other instruments, mostly because the music is played differently with unique techniques. It inspires me and helps to create new ideas for my guitar compositions,” he says.
Klemke’s new album project in making has music by Eric Satie, a French composer, and pianist. The composition which was originally for the piano is adopted to the guitar by Klemke. His latest project includes an album in collaboration with two classical guitarists performing rock and pop music.
India Connection
Klemke’s connection with India began in 2010 when he visited the country for the Calcutta Guitar Festival. Later, he visited Bengaluru to perform at the Bangalore school of Music (BSM). This year, the ace guitarist conducted an interactive virtual concert organised by BSM.
“My visits to India have always been so welcoming that it is always a pleasure to be a guest. During my last visit to the Bangalore School of Music, we conducted a workshop for the children which was very engaging. I think BSM is a really good school for classical western music and it is great to see that they do so much for music,” mentions Klemke who recently performed at a concert in Germany with 200 people.