Mike von der Nahmer

Mike von der Nahmer is a composer, sound researcher, music psychotherapist, and music dramaturge. His American/German/Cuban heritage influences the questions of identity, complexity, and transcendent connection that shape his music. He has written over 30 works for stage and over 100 works for concert and film; many have received national/international awards and been performed around the world.

Mike’s barrier-breaking, eclectic background explains his passion for music both as artistic expression and as a means to connect disparate cultures. His desire to be an agent of radical connection – to literally create harmony out of apparent dissonance – is his defining motivation. The centre of his work is the search and creation of the “Sonification of the Mind,” his (utopian) idea and concept that might help us in the future to understand the complexities of the brain through an audible representation.

In addition to his numerous awards and commissions, Mike has worked for companies such as GRAMMY, Kenwood, Sony BMG and BMW and his music has been used in TV series including NOVA. Mike holds a B.A. in composition, an M.F.A. in Musical Theater Writing from New York University, as well as an M.A. in Music Therapy and a certificate in Music-Imaginative Pain Treatment. He is currently doing his PhD at the German Aerospace Center, researching “Underscoring Aircraft Ballets – Sonifying Air Traffic Control Data to heighten Situational Awareness – A Composer’s Perspective.” He is an Artist in Residence at the Orchard Project NYC Greenhouse program (2021-2023) and at the SETI Institute AIR Program (2022-2023) where he will further explore artistic ideas and acoustic communication connected to questions about the origin and nature of life in the universe.