André Heller

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André Heller in 2006

André Heller (born March 22, 1947) is an Austrian artist and former journalist, singer and actor.

Heller was born in Vienna into a wealthy Jewish family of sweets manufacturers ("Gustav & Wilhelm Heller").

His almost daily visits to the Café Hawelka were in his opinion a key element in the development of his literary orientation. It was in this coffeehouse that he met many men of letters including Friedrich Torberg, H. C. Artmann und occasionally Elias Canetti as well as Hans Weigel and Helmut Qualtinger, with whom he later on collaborated and performed. He took acting classes from Hans Weigel and his cohabitee Elfriede Ott.

Heller has been writing prose, poetry, and songs since 1964. He left school shortly before obtaining the Matura, (he went to a Jesuite boarding school). From 1965 to 1967 he was a moderately successful actor at various Viennese avantgarde theatres.

In 1967 Heller co-founded Ö3, the ORF's then progressive pop music station, where he was one of the hosts of the daily Musicbox programme.

Jointly with Bernhard Paul Heller also co-founded the well-known Circus Roncalli, in 1976.

From 1976 until 1981 André Heller played major roles in various international movies, this included roles in Hans Jürgen Syberberg’s Hitler, Radu Gabrea’s Fürchte Dich nicht Jakob and Doktor Faustus by Johannes Schaaf.

Heller has received numerous international awards.

He has to date written 14 printed publications, among them collections of stories Die Ernte der Schlaflosigkeit in Wien, Auf und Davon, Schlamassel, Als ich ein Hund war, the novel Schattentaucher, the collection of poems Sitzt ana und glaubt, er is zwa (together with Helmut Qualtinger), as well as two picture books Jagmandir - Traum und Wirklichkeit and Die Zaubergärten des André Heller.

21 TV documentaries have been produced about Heller's projects, productions and plans, these were done, by the likes of Werner Herzog, H.J. Syberberg, and Elsa Klensch, among others.

Heller was appointed artistic director of the artistic and cultural programme which ran parallel to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. His company Artevent was also responsible for the successful 'Presentation of the Germany bid for the FIFA 2006 World Cup' project (project manager Christian Bauer) [1].

Between 1968 and 1983 Heller recorded 15 record albums as singer of his own texts and in part of his own compositions. He was on the road with 9 international concert tours, and was the host and entertainer in 12 evening-filling TV shows.

Lately, in 2006 - thanks to the initiative of Chris Gelbmann - he released his last album called Ruf und Echo. The 3 CD compendium is the first release in the past 20 years, containing new songs and interpretations of old hits by a lot of famous artists like Brian Eno, Xavier Naidoo, Thomas D. The Walkabouts, etc.

André Heller lives in Vienna, in Gardone Riviera, Lombardy, and travels the world.

[edit] More events and projects created by André Heller and Artevent – sample list –

KING-KONG-KING-MAYER-MAYER-LING - ein Stück Theater - Opening premiere of the Vienna Festival, Austria
MENSCHEN AM ZENTRAL - Documentary about life at Vienna's Central Cemetery
FLIC FLAC - a poetic variety show, tour through Europe
TEATRO DE FOGO - in Lisbon; Portugal
FEUERTHEATER - in front of the Berlin Reichstag, Germany
MISSTRAUE DER IDYLLE - Floral picture for the International Garden Show at Berlin, Germany
BEGNADETE KÖRPER - Great masters of the acrobatics schools in Anhui and Beijing, tour through Europe. Heller was the first non-Chinese artist to be allowed to work with Chinese master acrobats and to present their refined skills to the West.
SALUT FÜR OLGA - a homage to the last masters of the dying art of variety shows, tour through Europe
FLYING SCULPTURES - above 20 cities in Europe, 32 cities in America, and 7 cities in Asia
LUNA LUNA - a poetic amusement park and a traveling territory of contemporary art
LACHEN MACHEN - a clown parade, tour through Europe
GIARDINO BOTANICO - Fondazione André Heller in Gardone Riviera, Italy
BODY AND SOUL - a stage show with musicians, singers, dancers, and grotesque comedy artists from Harlem, Mubale, and New Orleans. New York and tour through Europe.
WINTERGARTEN VARIETÉ - Tour through Europe
CHINESE NATIONAL CIRCUS - World tour
JAGMANDIR - The eccentric private theater of the Maharana of Udaipur, India
SINKING GIANT - Floral sculpture with fountain in the park of Schoenbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
WONDERHOUSE - on Broadway, New York, USA
BAMBOO MAN - a 55-meter tall floating sculpture in Hong Kong harbor
WINTERGARTEN VARIETÉ - Together with Bernhard Paul, inauguration of the theatre-building in Berlin, Germany
SEIN UND SCHEIN - at the Vienna Burgtheater, Austria
MAGNETEN - Charismatic Roma and Sinti masters of the world-embracing gypsy culture, tour through Europe
SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL WORLDS - Landscape as well as a series of subterranean wonder chambers for Swarovski, in Wattens, Tyrol, Austria
BOAT OF SALT - on the Dead Sea in Israel
THE MUTE PROPHET - Light sculpture, Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco
YUMÉ - flight through dreams - a Japanese kaleidoscope, Tokyo and tour through Europe
METEORIT - a place of amazement, wonder chambers on the Energy theme for the Rheinisch-Westfälische Elektrizitätswerk, Essen, Germany
BROCKHAUS 2000 - Design of the 24-volume deluxe edition of this encyclopedia
VOICES OF GOD - an event with spiritual singers, musicians, and dancers from 12 cultures, Marrakech, Morocco
EARTH SPIRIT - Design of the WWF Pavilion for the EXPO 2000, Hanover, Germany
WORLD CUP BIDDING - Production of the successful final bid of the German Football Association for the World Cup 2006, Zurich, Switzerland
BLIND SPOT - Dokumentary about Hitler’s Secretary, Audience award Berlinale Filmfestival 2002, Germany
IN THE HEART OF LIGHT - NIGHT OF THE PRIMA DONNAS - A poetic documentation of a myth conceived and produced by André Heller and adapted for the screen by Pepe Danquart
FOREBODING/LA VOIX HUMAINE - The "Théâtre du Châtelet" in Paris was the venue for the staging of "Anticipation / La Voix Humaine", a cooperation between André Heller and Jessye Norman in October 2002.
FOOTBALL-GLOBE - The architectural herald to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany One tour in Germany, one tour internationally (Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Zurich)