The structures of free improvisation are different from the ones of composition – even though the borderlines may be indistinct in specific cases. The main difference derives from the fact, that the improviser can influence, change the meaning and react on everything, that has already been played before, at any stage of the performance. This again means that the improviser is in charge of the structure of the piece till the very last sound, can totally change its architecture at any stage of the performance and thus totally holds responsibility for the piece as musician.

This workshop focuses on free improvisation with a deep sense of soundmaterial and structure. We will concentrate on timing, listening, and various methods of sound producing on the instruments. Experiments, communication and musical games as well as exercises how to create concepts (instant composing), forms and structures - groupwise or solo.

For all, who feel an urge to actively deal with improvisation within the impuls Academy: welcome to join any time - Its open to everybody, but we want to know if you are experienced in improvisation or just beginning.

There will be a daily offer, and most likely different groups as well as collective phases of the "impuls-band", depending on your participation. (Manon-Liu Winter)

Frank Gratkowski and Manon-Liu Winter will work together in team and individually as well.

Shifting focus to contemporary music and free improvisation led to a period of intense experimentation with the instrument for expanding the piano's sound and technical capabilities – various preparations, string piano, the inside/outside of the corpus, ways of amplifying.
Frequent participation at important festivals for contemporary music, e.g. “Oesterreich Heute/ Hoergaenge“, “WIEN MODERN“ Konzerthaus Wien, V:NM-Festival Graz, “Ensemble of the 20th Century“ at the Salzburg Festival, “TON:ART“ Bern, Ulrichsberger Kalleidophon, Studio akustische Kunst Köln, Germany, Kulturschutzgebiet Tirol, Dampffabrik Bern, Warsaw turning sounds 2005, “The wild bunch“, Festival Konfrontationen 2006, NOWnow Festival Sydney 2007, Sound Convention Invention, Auckland NZ 2007,...
In the field of improvisation collaboration with the musicians Jon Rose, Veryan Weston, Christian Wolff, John Tilbury, Otomo Yoshihide, Peter Herbert, Franz Hautzinger, Gene Coleman, Andrea Neumann, Robin Hayward, and many others.
Career as soloist and chamber musician, specializing both in music of the classical (age of the Enlightenment) and modern periods and being in contact with composers such as Luca Lombardi, Christian Ofenbauer, Mayako Kubo and John Cage, Gerhard E. Winkler, Recitals in France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Lettland, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, China, NSW Australia, Newzealand, USA and throughout Austria.
Since many years professor for piano performance, piano pedagogy, specialist class “Improvisation & New Developments in Contemporary Music“ at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.