About me
Johannes Simmat
I've always had two passions: the musician's and the craftsman's. It took several stages to get where I am today.
At the age of 7, I had set my mind on playing the drums, which my parents finally allowed me to do after some pleading. In my youth, I played in various school and rock bands and developed an increasing interest in classical music over time.
At the same time, my passion for craftsmanship was shaped early on by my father, who is a trained toolmaker and mechanical engineer. This meant I always had access to a workshop where I could try my hand at various projects. After an internship with a carpenter, I considered doing an apprenticeship in a trade after school, but decided to continue pursuing music.
After school, I devoted all my attention to studying drums at the Hamburg University of Music and Theater. I had the privilege of studying with Massimo Drechsler (Hamburg State Opera) and Stephan Cürlis (NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra). Later, I received lessons from Thomas Schwarz (NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra), Klaus Bertagnolli (Theater Bielefeld), Brian Barker (Hamburg State Opera), and Jesper Tjaerby Korneliusen (Hamburg State Opera).
During my studies, I completed a six-month internship at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern and was subsequently hired as principal percussionist at the Philharmonie Südwestfalen for one year. In addition, I played as a freelance musician at the Hamburg State Opera, Theater Kiel, Theater Lübeck, Mecklenburgische Staatskapelle, and many others.
During my time as a musician, I soon became interested not only in music itself, but also in the craft of instrument making. As I am particularly fascinated by working with metal and steel, I briefly considered apprenticeship as a brass instrument maker. However, I quickly abandoned this plan, as my heart lies more with drums and timpani.
This led me to an internship at relinkbremen – Schlaginstrumente in Bremen. Over the course of two and a half years, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about percussion instruments, timpani, and natural drumheads. Ruprecht Holsten, the metalworker and belt maker at relinkbremen, taught me the basics of metalworking. I benefited greatly from their many years of experience.
With the craftsmanship and musical knowledge I had acquired, ideas began to flourish in me to create my own instruments. This marked the beginning of my very personal journey to try my hand at this field. I had to learn, ask, and try out many new things, and for that I needed my own workshop. At first, I was inspired by other manufacturers of high-quality drums. In the meantime, I have now found my own way of making my drums and shells.
For me, it will always be exciting to implement new ideas and projects. I am very grateful for the many encounters, twists and turns in my life that have brought me to where I am today. I am particularly grateful for the support of my dear wife Traudl. I am excited to see how my small business and I will continue to develop and what the future holds.