JAZZ COMP GRAZ 2011

Nine performances delighted the audience yesterday in the György Ligeti Hall of the MUMUTH: The final pieces of the jazz composition competition "Jazz - Comp - Graz" were presented by the KUG Jazz Orchestra. Immediately after the concert, the jury decided on the awarding of prizes and chose their winners. A total of 30 applications from twelve European nations as well as from Canada were received for the first International Competition for Contemporary Jazz Composition "Jazz - Comp - Graz", after which nine final compositions were selected.

The nine candidates were invited to a joint jazz composition weekend in Graz at the beginning of April, where the jury members supported them and advised them in workshops. They came from six different nations, and two Austrians were in the running. The ORF concert recording will now also be made into a CD in the KUG series "Klangdebüts".

With the triennial competition "Jazz - Comp - Graz", which took place for the first time in 2010, the association "Pro Jazz Graz", founded for this purpose, would like to enrich the jazz scene in the Styrian capital with another fixed point, in cooperation with the Institute for Jazz at KUG and with the support of the Cultural Office of the City of Graz.

A sound debut CD has been released for Jazz Comp Graz 2011 ↓

The jury, consisting of Jim MCNEELY, John HOLLENBECK and Jörg Achim KELLER announced the winners: the 1st prize, endowed with € 5,000, was awarded to Malte SCHILLER from Germany for the piece "Night Quiet", € 3,000 went with the 2nd prize to Julia MAIER (Austria) for "New Shores Ahead", and the 3rd prize, endowed with € 2,000, was awarded to David GROTTSCHREIBER (Switzerland) for his composition "The Zone". The special prize for female composers, worth € 2,000, as well as the audience prize of € 1,000 also went to Julia MAIER.