KNM stands for the active, current music scene in Berlin’s metropolis. Along with other students of former East Berlin’s Hanns Eisler School of Music, Juliane Klein and Thomas Bruns founded the ensemble in 1988. It is now made up of thirteen musicians from all over Germany, Great Britain, Holland and Switzerland.

The opinion that “New Music is not only for musicians and composers” has led to an active, intense attitude towards performing and programming concerts, as well as to direct audience contact.

In close collaboration with international composers, authors, conductors, artists and producers, KNM has presented compositions, concert installations and projects across Europe, in the USA and in South America. Programmes result from a fascination with the unknown and constant discussions about the most essential topics of our time.

Artistically, the ensemble is at home in the creativity of Berlin, where it works together with composers including Mark Andre, Georg Katzer, Chris Newman, Helmut Oehring, Dieter Schnebel or conductors such as Roland Kluttig, many of whom have had a long-lasting influence on the ensemble’s aesthetic. Close contacts have provided links to the improvisation, installation, performance scenes and to the most important music institutions in the city. KNM has become known internationally, not only for its frequent appearances at the major European music festivals such as ars musica Brussels, Donaueschinger Musiktagen, Festival d’Automne à Paris, MaerzMusik, Berlin, musica Strasbourg, settembre musica Torino, UltraSchall - Festival für neue Musik, Berlin, Wiener Festwochen and Wien Modern, but also for its own productions including HouseMusik and space+place. In autumn 2007, the ensemble presented an extended concert event at the Carnegie Hall, New York City.
In 2011 KNM Berlin founded the series lunch & after work concerts with more then 30 concerts at very different veneus in Berlin per year.

In 2002, ensemble members decided to form smaller combinations within the main ensemble. This led to the unusual combination of wind trio and tuba - KNM Ganesha and to the formation of the KNM Quartet. KNM’s discography comprises 13 CDs to date; the KNM was awarded the “German Records Critic Award” 03/2009 und 03/2010.

KNM Berlin is a partner in ohrenstand.net and is supported by the Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH and the Lord Mayor and Senate Chancellery.