Composer

Thomas Pigor

Thomas Pigor grew up in Lower Franconia and has lived in Berlin since 1985. He received violin lessons and was self-taught on the guitar. He graduated from the University of Würzburg with a degree in chemistry without ever having worked in this field. He was a member of the Berlin music theatre troupe »College of Hearts« and has been part of the duo »Pigor singt ‒ Benedikt Eichhorn muss begleiten« since 1995. The two have received numerous prizes for their satirical programmes (volumes 1‒9), including the »German Cabaret Prize«, the »Austrian Cabaret Prize« and the »Bavarian Cabaret Prize«. His songs are interpreted by numerous artists, including Thomas Quasthoff and Jan Böhmermann. He has also written lyrics and music for artists such as Tim Fischer, Max Raabe, Walter Moers, Ina Müller, Désirée Nick, the Missfits and the Berlin Comedian Harmonists.

Thomas Pigor is also active as a librettist and composer for musical theatre and is the author of plays such as »Die falschen Fuffziger« (Neuköllner Oper Berlin), »Im Schatten der Hochbahn« (Theater am Halleschen Ufer, Berlin), »30-60-90° ‒ durchgehend geöffnet« (Berlin Theater des Westens) and »Erhöhte Temperatur« (Saarländisches Staatstheater Saarbrücken). Several of his children’s musicals are perennial favourites on the repertoires of German-language stages, such as »Cinderella« (2015 at the Gärtnerplatztheater). His more recent major works include the jazz musical »Roulette« (Saarländisches Staatstheater Saarbrücken) and his adaptation of the Offenbach operetta »Orpheus in der Unterwelt« (Berlin State Opera). His work for radio is also noteworthy, for example, Thomas Pigor regularly produced the »Chanson of the Month« on a contemporary history topic in 2010‒2018, which was broadcast by SWR2, WDR5, Ö1 and Deutschlandfunk. In 2023 he was awarded the »German Music Author Prize«.

For the Gärtnerplatztheater he wrote the operettas »Drei Männer im Schnee« and »Oh! Oh! Amelio!« and the German-language versions of Eric Idle’s and John Du Prez’ »Not the Messiah« as well as Gaetano Donizetti’s opera »Rita«.