Petr Kotik (*1942 in Prague, Czech Republic) was musically educated in Prague and Vienna; after 1961 he founded a number of ensembles and orchestras, among them the S.E.M. Ensemble in New York City. As a composer, Petr Kotik is best known for setting the words of Gertrude Stein to music. After playing solo performances and in chamber ensembles, in 1992 he began to stage large-scale concerts, often in collaboration with other composers like Alvin Lucier or Phill Niblock.