18th - 23rd August 2026
This workshop is offered as a six-day package shared between Nora Thiele and Bernhard Schimpelsberger. The first three days will be led by Nora Thiele and the following three days by Bernhard Schimpelsberger.
This workshop with Nora Thiele focuses on rhythmic improvisation for instrumentalists and singers. Working through practical exercises and group interaction, the session explores rhythm as a shared, physical, and musical language. Drawing on Nora’s experience with frame drums, voice, and movement, participants will experiment with pulse, texture, and form, and develop tools for improvising rhythm both solo and in ensemble settings. The workshop is open to musicians of all levels who are interested in deepening their rhythmic awareness and improvisational skills.
Student requirements
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Instrumental technique: intermediate
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Western theory: any level
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Sight reading: basic
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Transposition: any level
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Learning by ear: intermediate
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Composition: any level
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Improvisation: any level
Raised in a family of musicians and theater artists, Nora Thiele studied ethnic percussion and piano in Leipzig and has worked as a freelance musician since 2004. She is widely regarded as a pioneering figure in the frame drum world, known for her sensitive virtuosity and her work in historical European percussion from the Middle Ages to early Baroque. For her global music and jazz projects, she developed a custom frame drum set that blends tunable natural-skin drums with cymbals and extends the concept of the traditional drum kit.
Thiele is committed to expanding the frame drum repertoire. She co-develops the Frame Drum Library, publishes original works for frame drums, and has inspired contemporary composers such as Klaus Huber and Bernd Franke to write orchestral pieces for her. As a composer, she creates chamber music that brings together instruments and influences from different cultures.
With more than a thousand performances across Europe, the Middle East, and China, she has collaborated with a wide range of artists and ensembles, including Cecilia Bartoli, Ensemble Avantgarde, La Folia Baroque Orchestra, Lena Chamamyan, Nederlands Kamerorkest, Glen Velez, and many others.
Drawing on decades of study in European, Middle Eastern, South Indian, West African, and Afro-American rhythmic traditions, Thiele has developed her own rhythm theory focused on awareness, improvisation, and stylistic fluency. She teaches at the Weimar University of Music and leads workshops and masterclasses internationally.
Her recent projects include a solo program combining percussion, piano, loops, and electronics, the AUREA duo with painter Larissa Böhler, and the Co Co Collective, which performs rhythm-centered minimalist music. She is also active as an artistic director, curator, and festival organizer, and is a member of Music Women Thuringia in support of gender equality in the arts.
