Thomas Fortmann

Thomas Fortmann (born 1951) is a Swiss composer and founder of the "Accademia Amiata, Toscana delle Culture", and "ClaZZ Festival".
Youth and pop career.
Born in Gerzensee Fortmann, also known as Tommy Fortmann, son of the Swiss soprano Greta Saar and the entrepreneur Rudolf Fortmann, was born in Gerzensee in the canton of Bern as the first of two children. At 17, he wrote his first pop/rock hit, which was released in 27 countries. In collaboration with the producer Dieter Dierks, over 100 of his songs were released by United Artists, CBS, EMI, Decca-Telefunken, Ariola, Phonogram, Hansa and others.During this time he worked with Jürgen Drews, , Alexis Korner, Toni Vescoli, Daniela Davoli etc. The conclusion of his rock/pop career made the music for the musical "Tell", in which Udo Lindenberg played the leading role.
Contemporary music career.
At the age of 26 he turned to the study of classical music. He then composed mainly chamber works, but also two symphonies, an oratorio, concertos, songs and several music stage works with commissions and scholarships from the Swiss Federal Office for Cultural Affairs, Zurich Opera House etc
Constant development and the search for the appropriate form corresponding to the content of a new work allow him to develop original ideas; and through his personality, heterogeneous and often even contradictory modernist impulses can be playfully combined into a unity. Construction and vitality, logic and sensual effect are by no means mutually exclusive in his compositions.
In the mid-1980s, Fortmann moved with his family to Tuscany, where he founded the Accademia Amiata in addition to his compositional activities with musicians from the provinces of Grosseto and Siena, and directed the "Toscana delle Culture" festival for several years. In 2016, he founds the international ClaZZ Festival. All works are published by Müller & Schade in Bern.