He studied piano and composition with Wolfgang Wagenhäuser and Claus Kühnl at Dr. Hoch’s Konservatorium in Frankfurt am Main, with Leonard Hokanson at Frankfurt’s High School of Music and Performing Arts, and with Wilhelm Killmayer at Munich’s High School of Music and Theatre. He continued his studies with Raymund Havenith and Dieter Lallinger (piano) and Hans-Jürgen von Bose (composition) in Munich as well as Robert Saxton as a post-graduate composition student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Since 2010 he has been a professor of composition at the High School of Music and Theatre in Munich.
Eggert has composed seven operas as well as ballets and works for dance companies and music theatre, with frequently unusual performance elements. In 1911 he cofounded with Sandeep Bhagwati the A*Devantgarde new music festival.
The artist’s accolades include the composition prize of the Salzburg Easter Festival, Schneider-Schott Music Prize, Ad Referendum Prize in Montréal, Siemens Förderpreis for young composers, and Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition. Since 2003 he has been a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts.
Eggert had previously wrote a percussion concerto with industrial sounds. His great football oratorio In der Tiefe des Raumes, composed for the 2005 Ruhrtriennale and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, received a lot of media attention both in Germany and abroad. He also co-created (with director Christian Stückl and set designer Marlene Pohley) the 2006 World Cup opening ceremony.
For this percussion marathon, Eggert wrote a melodically conceived concerto for drums and an exotic set of instruments from all over the world, including Tibet gongs tuned an octave lower, combined with vibraphone, triangles, balafon, marimba, glockenspiel, Thai gongs, tam-tam, toms, bongos, and congas.
Selected works (since 2015): PG Dada for ensemble (2015), Terra Nova, an opera (2015), Les Temps Modernes for percussion quintet (2015), Tamam Shud for double bass (2016), Traviata Remixed, opera (with Jacopo Salvatori; 2016), Muzak for voice and orchestra (2016), Caliban, chamber opera (2016), La BETTLEROPERa, musical theatre (2017), Pulling the weed for ensemble (2017), M – eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder, opera (2018), Martien Martienne, musical theatre (2018), Traité des passions for Baroque ensemble and soloists (2019), Hierarchie for ensemble (2019), Ein Fest für Mackie, pub cantata for beggars, miners, drunks and orchestra (2019), Silly Symphony for three soloists playing children’s instruments and orchestra (2019), Iwein Löwenritter, opera in two acts (2020–21), Number Nine IX: Number Nine for large orchestra, choir, six actors, music journalists, singing composer and video recordings (2020–22), Die letzte Verschwörung, operetta in two acts (2021–22), Counting Dances for trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba and cimbalom (2021), Promethea for violin, viola and orchestra (2020–23), Montana Sacra for soprano, chamber ensemble and five performers (2021), Wer hat Angst vor dem König? for soprano and orchestra (2021), Moritat des Winters for voice and piano (2022), Kairosis, interactive video opera (2022–23), Master and Servant for percussion and ensemble (2022–23).