Singer-Songwriter
Instrumentalist
Composer & Arranger
University Lecturer
Dominik Schirmer received his musical training in jazz piano and popular music at the Artez Jazz Conservatory in Enschede, Netherlands. He later studied songwriting and composition at the prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), where he was taught by Sir Paul McCartney, Tracy Chapman, and Paul Mitchell-Davidson, among others.
He graduated with a 1st Class BA with Honours in Performing Arts and received the Greenberg Award for “Expertise in Jazz.” In 2008, he returned to McCartney's institute as the youngest and first international lecturer, taking on a teaching role in composition.
Shortly thereafter, he became a member of the “British Higher Education Academy.” Since 2014, Schirmer has lived in Germany, where he performs as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, and singer. He also works as a piano educator and offers private lessons.
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BRIEF INFO
Year of Birth
1976
Place of Birth
Hagen in Westphalia
Instruments
Jazz Piano | Accordion | Guitar | Bass | Vocals
Specialization
- Songwriting
- Composition for Film & Television
- Music Performance
- Music Pedagogy
- Music Production
Musical Training at
Artez Conservatorium Enschede / Netherlands
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts / UK
Professors
- Sir Paul McCartney | Mark Pearman - Songwriting
- Paul Mitchell Davidson | Gary Carpenter - Composition & Music Theory
- Sebastian Altekamp | Paul Walker - Jazz Piano
- Mike Walker - Jazz Improvisation
- Adrienne West - Accompanying Vocals
Masterclasses
Sir Paul McCartney | Tracy Chapman
Mel Gaynor - Simple Minds
Melanie Chrisholm - Mel C, Spice Girls
Andy McCluskey (OMD, Atomic Kitten)
The Bangles | Jennifer Batton - former guitarist for Michael Jackson
Paul "Wix" Wickens - Keyboardist for Sir Paul McCartney
Teaching Experience
- Lecturer & Head of Composition Department at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
- Lecturer in Music Theory, Jazz & Pop Piano at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
- Director of Instrumental Teaching for the piano learning app 'Skoove'
- Private and music school lecturer
- Private and online instructor, "Dominik Schirmer EDU"
- Band coach and arranger for various jazz, rock, and pop bands
Memberships & Awards
- 1st Class Degree with Honours in Performing Arts from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
- Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom
- Greenberg Jazz Award for Expertise in Jazz
- Rotary Club Velbert Scholarship Recipient
- NRW State Champion with the Hagen Accordion Orchestra
Singer & Songwriter
- Released 4 solo albums
- Leader of the 'Dominik Schirmer Band'
- Performances: Beatlemania Hamburg | Kulturhaus Lüdenscheid | WDR2 | Hafenfest Düsseldorf | Schwedter Beatles Festival | Hasper Hammer Hagen, and more
Features on Dominik Schirmer
WDR 2 | WDR 4 | WDR | MDR | ARTE | Hamburg 1 | RBB | Center TV | Radio NRW | Deutschlandfunk
Composer & Arranger
- Arrangements for the resident ensemble on the cruise ship “Queen Mary 2”
- Attended Abbey Road Studios for film music recording with LSO and BBC Orchestra, conducted by James Newton-Howard, for the Disney film *Maleficent*
- Arranger for the children’s musical “Daisy's Doll” by Chris Horton
- Music for the short film *Beyond Good and Evil*, directed by B. Latzel
- Collaborative work with Hollywood film composers Henning Lohner & Carsten Raabe in Berlin
- Compositions for WDR, SWR, & RBB contributions
- Composer and arranger for jazz singer Maria Dunsmore & David Knopov
- Arranger, composer, and musical director of the “Obscenes” cabaret show with Gabor Farkas, Bence Vagi
Performer
- Pianist and accordionist for UK singer David Knopov, alias Perfectly Frank, Maria Dunsmore, and 'Kerieva'
- World and European cruises with P&O Cruises as Dominik Schirmer Jazz Trio
- Studio musician as pianist, organist, accordionist
- European cruises with Dominik Schirmer Trio and Maria Dunsmore for P&O Cruises
- Southport Jazz Festival
- Opening concert of the first Liverpool Jazz Festival
- Liverpool Cavern Club & Barfly
- Liverpool Aintree Horse Races
- UK tour with "Mercury Stills" (with Asbjoern Holmseth) & the "Alphabeats"
- Accompanist for jazz and Broadway singer Adrienne West
Other
- Owner of the record label “Treewalk Records” LC18963
- Internship & freelance work at “Radio NRW-Hagen 107.7 kHz”
- BA thesis on “An Introduction into Universal Musical Perception”
- Internship with Drossel Film Production in Dortmund
Interests
- Astronomy
- Astrophysics & Nuclear Physics
- Natural Sciences in General
- Philosophy
- Sports