listening closely 2026 - Big Band Passion

This year, the chamber music festival 'listening closely' will take place from 1 to 10 May 2026 in Wattens, Innsbruck and Schwaz, focusing in particular on 20th-century classics and spiritual music. The second concert on 5 May 2026 at the ORF Landesstudio Tirol in cooperation with ‘Musik im Studio’ will be dedicated to the Austrian composer Ralph Mothwurf, who crosses the boundaries between jazz and classical music.

We have commissioned him to write a concerto for saxophone and modern jazz orchestra. It will be performed by JIMI, the big band of the Tyrolean State Conservatory, which is rehearsing the entire concert programme in one of our two major ‘Education’ projects. Matthieu Bordenave will play the solo saxophone, and the composer himself will conduct the performance. New music beyond any pigeonhole!