Made by Scotty Böttcher with MAGIX studio album “Ten Years” Andreas Scotty Böttcher & Karen Sue Larsen Karen Sue Larsen was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, to a musical family, thus developing an early appreciation of the various art forms. She got her B.M.E. (Bachelor of Music Education) from the University of Northern Colorado, and her M.M. (Master of Music) from Northwestern University in Chicago, studying with Dale Clevenger and Gail Williams. She has held positions in various orchestras such as the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Philharmonica Hungarica, and the now extinct Orchestra of the Landesbuehnen Sachsen. During her 22 year tenure with the Landesbuehnen, she has played extensive solo and chamber music in various castles and cathedrals around Saxony. [Ms. Larsen has substituted or played extra Horn for many orchestras including the Staatskapelle Dresden, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Chemnitz, Chicago, and Denver to name a few.] Jazz is her passion, reminding us that the "true open expression" of improvisation that was once  prevalent in classical music now exists in the Jazz idiom. Even during his college days, while studying at the Dresden Musikhochschule, Scotty Böttcher could be found playing in ensembles with well-known jazz musicians.  And although he majored in piano performance and composition during those years, and several of his works were successfully premiered, his main musical interest has always been the art of free improvisation. His style can be described as evolving from Jazz and Rock, yet a broader palette of musical influences are evident to the attentive listener. By employing various musical instruments in his compositions, Scotty Böttcher brings diversity and color into play: vibraphone, organ, synthesizer, bass guitar and drums are just some of the instruments which he also learned to play during college. Scotty Böttcher’s musical activities have taken him abroad and are documented on a number of CD recordings. Some of his closest friends and musical colleagues include Friwi Sternberg, Ulrich Thiem, Lou Grassi, Friedbert Wissmann, Mack Goldsbury, Ernst Bier, and Lisa Bella Donna. Translated by Jane Taubert