Toni Geiling was born in the peaceful town of Hildburghausen, Germany. He began playing the violin at the age of nine in Koethen, at the palace (Köthener Schloss) where Bach composed many of his major works. At nineteen he went out into the world to make music and to meet interesting people. He lives today – after riding his violin and guitar across continents – in Halle (Saale).
Now he plays about 100 performances a year mainly as a singer / songwriter or violinist and virtuoso on the Singing Saw. He has composed music for children, cabaret, theater and his own band projects. His present collaborations are:
Toni Geiling & das Wolkenorchester – when playing family concerts
Toni Geiling & Band – when playing his original songs
Continental Drift – with guitarist and singer Dave Alley (NZ) and multi-instrumentalist Jon Sanders (GB)
Seldom Sober Company – an Irish folk music band from Halle
Jarŋŋa – a North Swedish Sami band with the composer Mandy Senger and indigenous singer Katarina Rimpi
Awards:
2001 Deutscher FolkFörderpreis at the Rudolstadt Folk Festival
2008 Medienpreis LEOPOLD for the CD Gedanken wollen fliegen
2015 Empfohlen durch den VdM for the CD In der Wolkenfabrik