Bjarke Falgren & Sönke Meinen
Biography Bjarke Falgren & Sönke Meinen
Bjarke Falgren
was born in 1979 and grew up in Næstved/Denmark. He studied at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and held teaching positions at different Danish music conservertoires.
In addition to duo concerts with Sönke Meinen, Bjarke Falgren tours solo, with his own „Bjarke Falgren Quartet“, his band „Hot n Spicy“ and his duo with Bandoneon virtuoso Paolo Russo. He collaborated with renowned musicians like Mike Sheridan, Mike Marshall, Jens Lysdal and many others.
Bjarke Falgren also gained a high reputation as a film composer of several documentaries and TV series such as „Præst søger Paradis“ and „Cool Cats“. For his work as a violinist and composer, he was awarded with four Danish Music Awards in 2010 and the Ellen & Svend Asmussen prize as well as the Trelleborg Foundations Culture prize in 2017. Bjarke Falgren lives in Næstved.
Sönke Meinen, born in 1991 and raised in Ihlow/Northern Germany, studied under Prof. Thomas Fellow, Prof. Stephan Bormann and Reentko Dirks at the Dresden University of Music, where he held a teaching position himself from 2019 to 2022.
Sönke Meinen played concerts all around the world (Australia, China, Japan and almost every European country) and won numerous competitions - in 2016 he collected awards at two of the largest international guitar competitions: the well-respected "Guitar Masters" (first prize) and the "European Guitar Award“ (sponsoring prize). In addition to performing with Bjarke Falgren, Sönke Meinen also plays as a soloist and with guitarist Philipp Wiechert. Sönke Meinen lives in Hamburg.
In addition to their musical work, Sönke Meinen and Bjarke Falgren are sought-after lecturers and workshop leaders as well as initiators and artistic directors of their own music festivals. While Sönke Meinen organises the annual „Freepsum International Guitar Festival“ together with guitarist Philipp Wiechert, Bjarke Falgren hosts the „Falgren and Friends Festival Night“ every year in his hometown Næstved.
Sönke Meinen
born in 1991 and raised in Ihlow/Northern Germany, studied under Prof. Thomas Fellow, Prof. Stephan Bormann and Reentko Dirks at the Dresden University of Music, where he held a teaching position himself from 2019 to 2022.
Sönke Meinen won numerous competitions - in 2016 he collected awards at two of the largest international guitar competitions: the well-respected "Guitar Masters" (first prize) and the "European Guitar Award“ (sponsoring prize). Sönke Meinen is not only performing in solo concerts, but also in duo projects with Danish violin virtuoso Bjarke Falgren as well as with guitarist and theatre musician Philipp Wiechert. Bjarke Falgren’s and Sönke Meinen’s highly acclaimed duo debut album "Postcard to Self" earned two nominations for the Danish
Music Awards in 2019.
In addition to his musical work as a guitarist and composer, Sönke Meinen is a renowned lecturer and workshop leader as well as the initiator and artistic director of the Freepsum International Guitar Festival, which has been taking place annually since 2011.
