Nora Hoffmann grew up in Germany, learning music at 5 years old, and classical violin at 6. Early
on, she was drawn to contemporary music, being part of an international organization for furthering new music, Korrespondenzen,
in Baden-Baden, Southwest Germany ("Baden-Wuerttemberg").
Under the guidance of violin teacher and virtuoso Dora
Entcheva-Heinen,
she learned to interpret
string works by Violeta Dinescu, written in a combination of
traditional staff and graphic notation, by looking to her inner worlds to create musical expression that would bring
the notated material to life. This inspired her to venture into
free improvisation to explore authentic musical expression moment by moment.
She spent her early twenties in Berlin, performing in various constellations: with bands, visual artists, dancers, poets, DJs, and solo.
Nora moved to Oakland, California, in 1999 to deepen her understanding of free improvisation and experimental music at
Mills College.
Nora also has an MFA in Composition/Experimental Sound Practices
from the California Institute of
the Arts. Appreciating & acknowledging as influental in her musical development:
Fred Frith, India Cooke, Maggi Payne, and Pauline Oliveros.
Mark Trayle,
Vinnie Golia,
Anne LeBaron, and Susie Allen.
Currently Nora lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to music,
she teaches Effective Empathic Communication and provides Private Coaching to Couples and Individuals.
(It's also, like music, a practice of listening.)
Tea Leaf Readings are available for a fun entry to insight and understanding.
Her communiation training and conflict mediation services are mostly based on Marshall Rosenberg's model of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
Private sessions include methods of Integrative Gestalt Therapy and Shamanic Practices.
Nora is also a Reiki Master and Teacher.
