Christian Kesten grew up in Essen, Munich and Berlin. He studied music and German Studies in Berlin with a special focus on experimental music and musical theater with Dieter Schnebel. Kesten currently lives as a freelance composer, performer, vocalist, director and curator in Berlin.

Christian Kesten’s work focuses on the connection between voice and action, music and language, and the interpenetration of sound and space. Since 1983, he has created compositions for chamber music, musical theater or site-specific works for various ensembles. As a composer-performer he stages solo works that focus on voice and action, as a duo, he works with Lucio Capece, as a trio with the members of dishk, Axel Dörner and Makiko Nishikaze, and lastly with the ensemble Maulwerker.