Frederika Krier

FREDERIKA KRIER is a Grammy Award-winning German-Romanian violinist based in New York City, celebrated for her dynamic sound on both electric and acoustic violin and her fearless approach to improvisation across genres.

Born in Timișoara, Romania and raised in Bavaria, Germany, Frederika started classical violin lessons at age seven and studied later on with Silvia Reichhardt (EMI Erlangen) and Uwe Haiberg (UdK Berlin). By her teens, she was already performing as concertmaster and soloist with regional orchestras while exploring everything from folk and gypsy swing to funk, soul, Latin, and hard rock in various bands. She also gained experience in musical theater and film productions.

Her passion for jazz was sparked at eighteen when she attended a workshop with renowned jazz violinist Jörg Widmoser (Modern String Quartet). Inspired, she continued regular lessons with him and studied with Mic Öchsner, Peter O'Mara, Gregor Hübner, Mark Feldman, and Barry Harris. She went on to study ethnomusicology and later joined the jazz program at the UdK Berlin (now Jazz Institut Berlin, JIB), learning from influential artists like Jerry Granelli, Peter Weniger, Chris Dahlgren, David Friedman, John Hollenbeck, and Kurt Rosenwinkel.

Frederika leads multiple projects reflecting her artistic vision: the Frederika Krier Quartett (Berlin), Molecular Vibrations (NYC), and co-leads Laghima — a duo blending violin and live electronics with Gian Luigi Diana — as well as Kus & Rika, an energetic violin and beatbox duo with French actor-musician Marc Ruchmann (Markus).

Her diverse collaborations span from touring with Danish icon Gitte Hænning and her orchestra to recording and performing with artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel (Caipi), Carla Patullo (So She Howls, Nomadica), The Reign of Kindo, Nabate Isles, Abdoulaye Alhassane, Jojo Kuo (Fela Kuti), Akua Dixon, Regina Carter, Martha Mooke and the Scorchio Quartet, Philip Glass, Rita Wilson, J. Ivy, Phoebe Bridgers, The Patti Smith Band, Dennis Davis (David Bowie, George Benson), Jim Cammack (Ahmad Jamal), Francis Mbappe, Mamadou Ba (Harry Belafonte, Leni Stern, KJ Denhert), Juini Booth (Sun Ra Arkestra), Frank Lacy, Karl Berger, and many more. She has toured the U.S. twice with Bollywood superstar Arijit Singh and appeared as a guest with Richard Bona and Gregory Porter. She is an occasional guest with the legendary Family Stone (formerly Sly and The Family Stone), opening for artists like Chaka Khan.

Frederika tours internationally and has released multiple albums as a leader and collaborator, including:

Devoted (Frederika Krier Quartett)

Laghima (Laghima)

Out of Frame (Kus & Rika)

as well as countless recordings as a featured guest and side musician.