Enjoy music under the stars – St. Pölten

Every August, the baroque inner courtyard of the City Museum becomes the centre of St. Pölten’s jazz scene. New artistic director Viola Falb herself opened the first of the four performance days with the Falb:Todorovsky:Novák trio, followed by the Gulnar Quintet. In addition to Mayor Matthias Stadler and many other guests of honour, Brno City Councillor Irena Matunohová and Klára Koriková from the Twin Cities Committee did not miss the opportunity to enjoy the multi-layered music in the idyllic inner courtyard under the stars.

The evening began with a magnificent performance by the trio Falbe: Todorowski: Novak. The three musicians – Viola Falbe on saxophone, Milos Todorowski on accordion and Tomasz Novak on violin – presented an exceptional program that reflected their passion for chamber music, improvisation and interpretation. The majority of the pieces performed were written by Viola Falbe, who created new worlds of sound with her compositions. The interplay between the instruments, combined with the interplay between improvisation and subtle interpretation, immediately captivated the audience and marked the beginning of an unforgettable evening.

Following the trio’s stunning performance, Iranian-Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist Golnar Shahyar took the microphone. Born in Tehran and influenced by diverse musical influences, she wowed the audience with her powerful and deeply emotional voice. Shahyar’s music combines West Asian and North African traditions with contemporary elements from Europe and America. This cultural diversity is reflected not only in the sounds, but also in the emotional nuances she incorporates into her performances. Collaborating with musicians from the improvisational scene, she pushes stylistic boundaries and creates moments where music becomes a political act. Her performance was a reminder that music is more than just entertainment—it can carry a powerful message and transcend social barriers.

“I hope that with this year’s programme I can show what a wide range of jazz has to offer. I understand the term very broadly,” said director Viola Valbe in her opening remarks, setting the target for the upcoming match days. There are still three days of jazz enjoyment ahead for music lovers.

More highlights await you.

On the second day of the match, Friday 23 August at 7:30 p.m., the HAEZZ trio will give an exceptional concert. Martin Eberle (trumpet), Stepan Flajar (saxophone) and Tobias Vedovilli (bass) create a melodic symbiosis with masterfully interwoven lines that combine lyrical urgency with a fast-paced groove. The unconventional trio formation abandons traditional harmonies and percussion instruments and demonstrates a concentrated and concise form of musical expression.

Then, the ECHO BOOMER project will delight the audience with a unique mix of different musical styles and individual sound languages ​​from 9 p.m. The band, composed of prominent musicians such as Michel Verzgo, Philipp Jagschitz, Florian Segartner, Clemens Sainitzer, Alois Eberl and Astrid Wissinger, pushes the boundaries of the genre with its experimental musical spirit and promises an exciting performance.

On Saturday, August 24, British pianist Django Bates will grace St. Pölten at 7:30 p.m. Bates is internationally known as a versatile artist and has been active in numerous musical projects since the 1980s. These include the British jazz quartet First House, the big band Loose Tubes, and Bill Bruford’s Earthworks. Bates’ most recent works include the triple album The Study of Touch and Saluting Sgt. Pepper with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. Bates’s solo piano concerts demonstrate his lifelong relationship with the piano and his passion for live music.

The second act of the evening, Studio Dan, starts at 9pm. Studio Dan is an ensemble that combines chamber music, jazz, rock and experimental electronics. Founded in 2005 at the Jazz Workshop Vienna festival, the group has developed into a multi-genre production community. Since then, they have been interpreting contemporary music with a unique blend of new music and jazz.

On Sunday, August 25th at 11 a.m., a special family experience takes place in the program with the “Transviertlerische Eisenbahn” when Lina Okarina and Lou Karteni share a musical adventure journey with the children. Lina wants to discover all the notes, sounds and melodies in the wide world and find out what can be done about them. Lou is a discoverer and inventor, and is always interested in everything that rustles, sticks or shines. They are both curious, adventurous and full of ideas. They find Viola and her assistant at an old, abandoned train station. Viola was once a train driver, but her train is old, silent, rusty and has not been running for a long time. But Viola has many stories to tell. Lina and Lou together with the children decide to repair the old locomotive and transform it into the first Transviertel musical express! The interactive program invites children and parents to embark on a creative journey through sounds and melodies with the two adventurous friends.

Jazz for the whole family

The festival closes at 7 p.m. with Jumping Jungle, a young jazz-funk band from Vienna, where the young performers choose the shots and design the music and arrangements themselves. Enhanced by a string orchestra, Jumping Jungle shows how jazz, improvisation and classical music can be combined. Their program promises a lot of groove and invites the audience to immerse themselves in a unique musical world. Before the concert, the musicians will demonstrate their instruments to anyone interested in a small workshop.

Deputy Mayor Harald Ludwig, Doris Forlaufer, Irena Matunohova, Mayor Matthias Stadler, Klara Korikova, Artistic Director Viola Falb, Savings Bank Board Director Peter Hronek, Head of the Cultural Department Alfred Kellner and Production Manager Sabine Eichinger-Holzapfel enjoyed a warm summer evening enjoying jazz music under the stars.

More information and tickets can be found here. jazzimhofstpoeten.com