Biography

Severin Scherrer, born in 1995 in Basel, began studying drums in 2002 with Florian Arbenz at the Musikschule Birsfelden. In 2011, he joined the Talentförderung Basel program and deepened his jazz studies through workshops at the Musikwerkstatt Basel, as well as in music theory and ear training at the AMS Muttenz.

 

He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music (Drums, Jazz) in 2019 at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, studying with Norbert Pfammatter, Marc Halbheer, and Dominik Burkhalter, and earned his Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy in 2022 at the Bern University of the Arts under Dejan Terzic and Jim Black. In addition, he received classical piano instruction from Michael Arbenz and jazz piano lessons with Christoph Stiefel.

 

In 2023, he expanded his musical horizons by traveling to Bali to study Gamelan music with one of the island’s leading musicians, Ketut Cater.

 

As a professional musician, Severin is active in diverse projects that connect different musical worlds. In the ensemble Hooks & Eyes, he collaborates with three musicians from varied backgrounds to create original compositions where structured forms meet free improvisation, resulting in an open and modern sound.

 

In the duo with Lennard Fiehn, he explores the freedoms and intimacy of reduced ensemble playing. With the trio ORA, he works on complex metric structures, odd meters, and polyrhythms, while in the freely improvising trio SET, he develops new sonic concepts beyond fixed frameworks. As a member of the Gamelan Orchestra Saraswara, he engages with Southeast Asian musical traditions. Additionally, he is active as a sideman in various straight-ahead jazz projects and has performed with the Big Sound Orchestra and the Mareille Merck Trio in Germany, France, and Switzerland.

 

Since 2026, he has been teaching at the Musikschule Konservatorium Bern.