Nicklas Koppe, born near Leipzig in 1997, received his first piano lessons at the age of five. After graduating from school, he began studying physics at the University of Leipzig in 2016. The results of his thesis were incorporated into the publication ‘Mechanical properties of the premature lung: From tissue deformation under load to mechanosensitivity of alveolar cells,’ which appeared in the Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology Journal. At the same time, he took piano lessons with Johannes Poerschke and later with Janusz Wozniak.
After completing his physics studies, Nicklas transferred to the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar in 2020 to study jazz piano with Achim Kaufmann, Elias Stemeseder and Kelvin Sholar. At the same time, he taught piano at the Musikwerk Fränzel music school in Erfurt until 2023. He then worked as a private teacher of piano, ensemble conducting and music theory. He completed his music studies in 2025.
In addition to his studies and teaching, Nicklas Koppe was involved in the Weimar music and cultural scene, both organisationally and photographically – for example, at the jazz session at Mascha Weimar and at the Come Closer Festival.
During his studies, he released four albums with various ensembles, including the duo recording ‘raw’ with clarinettist Gervasio Tarragona Valli and the EP ‘Saving Eddy’ with the groove fusion band of the same name. As a member of the Max Enyedi Quartet, he also released the EP ‘A Year From Now’. Nicklas has played various concerts in jazz clubs, at festivals, and at public and private events.
Nicklas has been working with artist Nadja Kracunovic since 2023. Their joint project ‘Don't worry, it's out of control’ artistically addresses scientific climate scenarios through music, text and visual media. In November 2024, the nine-piece ensemble released a music film and an EP. This was followed by concerts in 2025, sponsored in part by the Thuringia Cultural Foundation, a collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, and a workshop at the Bauhaus University in Weimar.
Nicklas Koppe lives and works in Düsseldorf.
