Feature Ring

Demian Kappenstein, born in 1983, studied jazz percussion, free improvisation and contemporary music in Dresden. From 2009 to 2011, he was a master student of Eric Schäfer in Berlin and worked with artists such as Rolf Kühn, Giora Feidman, Markus Stockhausen and Arve Henriksen. Since 2007, he has curated the jazz series "Feature Ring" at HELLERAU. With the band Masaa, he received the Bremen Jazz Prize (2012), the RUTH World Music Prize (2015) and the German Record Critics' Award (2017). He won the Music Match Award with his duo ÄTNA in 2018. His solo debut "WEIT" was released by Jazzsick Records, and he also presented the "invisible drums" at the Bundestag in 2015.

Eren Solak, born in 1981, studied classical music with Reggie Moore and Jiggs Whigham at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin from 2001 to 2005. Since then, he has lived and worked as a pianist, singer and producer in Berlin. He has worked as a sideman with Sebastian Merk, Hayden Chisholm, Ronny Graupe, Michael Kersting, Felix Wahnschaffe, Jelena Kuljic, Clara Hill, Andreas Brandis and "Thief" (Sonar Kollektiv/ Jazzanova), among others. As a producer/pianist, he has released numerous records with "Âme" (Innervisions), "Pied Plat" (Rush Hour), "Miramode Orchestra" (Agogo Records/Jazz thing Next Generation) and with the piano trio "Grim" (Nasswetter Records).

Felix-Otto Jacobi, born in 1980, is a bassist and composer. He grew up in Halle/Saale and studied electric and double bass at the Hochschule für Musik "Carl-Maria von Weber" Dresden. He is co-founder of the jazz and free improvisation series "Feature Ring", head of the piano trio "GRIM" (nasswetter rec.), member of the "Barbara Thalheim Band" and the "Miramode Orchestra" (Agogo Records/Jazz thing Next Generation). He leads the Big Band of the H.W.Henze Music School Berlin Marzahn/Hellersdorf and the Big Band of the City of Brandenburg. His concert tours have taken him to Canada, China, Russia and Turkey. He has played with Thomas Quasthoff, Rolf Kühn, Arve Henriksen, Markus Stockhausen, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gitte Häning, Miss Platinum and Katharina Frank, among others.