Carl is a New York-based composer and conductor who was born in Hamburg, Germany. He studied composition with Hans-Jurgen von Bose and Wolfgang Rihm in Munich and Karlsruhe before moving to New York, where he received his doctorate from Columbia University under Tristan Murail. His works have been played at major new-music festivals and venues in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. He has received numerous awards, among them a fellowship from the DAAD, a six-month residency at the Cite des Arts in Paris, and a Fromm Foundation commission.In our chat we talk about his time studying in Munich, the festival and academic scene in Europe and America, and how he tempered the “squareness” of his music. The piece played this interview is titled Il y a l’Océan and was performed by the Mivos Quartet.