Stefanie Boltz
18. Kasseler JazzFrühling
FEMALE
Music made by women – a journey through centuries
As muses, they have always been in demand. However, creating art and music has been as outlandish for women over centuries as making politics, playing football, or flying airplanes. "Bringing forth" is undoubtedly their domain: Despite all adversities, strong female musicians have followed their calling and created music of individual beauty over the centuries. Nevertheless, they have not been as visible as they are present – even in times of quotas and gender acrobatics.
Hildegard of Bingen, Alma Mahler, Nina Simone, Kate Bush, Bessie Smith & Ma Rainey are just a few examples of women who were sometimes celebrated, sometimes forgotten, and occasionally found recognition later. They have overcome hurdles and reached unforeseen heights. Thus, in the FEMALE program, heroines from the Middle Ages and Classical period, pioneers of the Blues, 'Women in Jazz,' and contemporary songwriters – together with Stefanie Boltz – take the stage.
Stefanie Boltz and Christian Wegscheider want to pursue their individual paths. Collage-like snapshots from the lives and times of the female artists bring us close to their lives, reflections, and longings as well as their works.
Stefanie Boltz (vocals)
Stefanie Boltz is an indispensable figure in the German-speaking concert landscape. For years, she explored the limits of the voice-bass duo ‘Le Bang Bang’ with Sven Faller and has been in the spotlight for 8 years as a leader and songwriter under her own name. In addition, she runs a concert agency and curates her own festival formats, most recently as the artistic director of "Alpenrausch" at Gasteig HP8 in Munich. In 2021, she founded "JAZZBABY" with Christian Wegscheider, a project free of ideology between blues, chamber music, and song or chanson – with jazz as the overarching theme. Her music is understood as a platform for 'brave music.' Courage not only for musically unusual, genre-crossing pieces but also courage for a lot of feeling, breakthrough, and escapade.
Christian Wegscheider (piano)
Christian Wegscheider begins his career as a self-taught musician on his father's home organ with foot-bass and rhythm device. Later, he studies jazz piano at the University of Art Graz and receives the Austrian State Scholarship for Jazz in 1993. In the 1990s, he lives in NYC as a freelance musician and takes private lessons with Gary Dial. Back in Europe, he earns a reputation as a sought-after jazz pianist and participates in countless productions as a composer and arranger. Wegscheider works among others with the Jazz Orchestra Tyrol, the Pepe Lienhard Big Band (Udo Jürgens), Willi Resetarits, John Arman, Leroy Emmanuel, Florian Bramböck, and releases numerous albums featuring his music. Wegscheider is also intensely involved in composing for classical ensembles, including commissioned compositions for the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra, Instrumenti, the Mittelsächsische Philharmonie, and Jazz Orchestra Tyrol. Additionally, he is a lecturer for jazz piano, theory, and jazz history at the Mozarteum Salzburg, offering further education events and youth workshops. For his teaching booklet "JazzClub," he received the German Music Publishers' Award "Best Edition" in 2012.
Entry one hour before start.
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
