German composer and guitarist Jan Henrik Rau is an active part of the irish jazz scene. As a composer and performer he works in the fields of musical performance as well as theatre. His original compositions can be heard with his Dublin based quintet Parallel Society as well as the Jan Henrik Rau trio (featuring Otso Mielonen on bass and Brendan Doherty on drums).

With Parallel Society, Jan crosses different genres and combines it with powerful improvisation. The quintet interweaves electronic and acoustic soundscapes and there is a clear element of storytelling in each composition. Every song creates a different atmosphere with fascinating, mesmerizing and sometimes transcendental arrangements and truly original music. The quintet showcases Jan's talent for creating sounds that move away from the standard way of playing the guitar and show his ability to tell stories through music. With the use of effect pedals he is able to extend the expressions available on his instrument.

The desire to use this extended expression and Jan's passion for composing any kind of music led to collaborations in the field of theatre shortly after he graduated with a BA in jazz performance from Newpark Music Centre in 2017. His involvement with Catagogo theatre collective and involvement in other theatre plays soon led to a residency at Archa theatre, Prague in May/June 2018.