DE/SEMBLE is a Vienna-based festival dedicated to expanding and redefining jazz and adventurous music. Renowned for its diverse lineup, the festival brings together both internationally established artists and emerging voices. Its mission is to break away from traditional connotations of jazz, cultivating an inclusive and forward-looking musical landscape. This year, the festival takes place from the 9th – 12th of October
in Vienna at FLUCC deck, ORF RadioKulturhaus, Bears in the Park and Reaktor.
LINE-UP:
YVONNE MORIEL – NOTHING CAUSES ANYTHING
Thursday, October 9, 2025, FLUCC DECK, 20:00, Praterstern 5, 1020 Vienna (Double concert)
This year’s DE/SEMBLE Festival opens with a special highlight: Austrian Jazz Prize winner Yvonne Moriel. We are delighted that she will present her new project “Nothing Causes Anything” as part of the festival – a captivating opening.
Moriel first met Vincent Pongrácz and Alex Kranabetter during a session of the Synesthetic Wednesday series – in a freely improvised quartet that immediately sparked. From this, a sound emerged between Experimental Noise Jazz and free improvisation: full of twists, collisions, and unexpected harmonies. Despite their different musical roots, the musicians are united by attentive listening, improvisational sensitivity, and the courage to embrace chaos – which is constantly transformed into something new.
Line-up:
Yvonne Moriel – Saxophone
Alex Kranabetter – Trumpet, Electronics
Vincent Pongrácz – Bass Clarinet, FX
Lukas König – Drums
Y-OTIS
Thursday, October 9, 2025, FLUCC DECK, 20:00, Praterstern 5, 1020 Vienna (Double concert)
The Swedish saxophonist Otis Sandsjö, now based in Berlin, is considered the driving force behind the project Y-OTIS. With his unmistakable approach, which he himself describes as “Liquid Jazz”, he transcends the boundaries of the genre, blending jazz with influences from hip-hop, electronica, and experimental grooves into dense, immersive soundscapes.
Line-up:
Otis Sandsjö – Saxophone
Petter Eldh – Bass & Synthesizer
Dan Nicholls – Keys & Synthesizer
Jamie Peet – Drums
YAZZ AHMED QUARTET
Friday, October 10, 2025, 20:00, ORF RadioKulturhaus, Argentinierstraße 30A, 1040 Vienna
The brilliant British-Bahraini musician Yazz Ahmed presents her current work “A Paradise in the Hold” at DE/SEMBLE.
The roots of the album go back to 2014, when a journey to her former homeland of Bahrain reconnected her with the musical traditions of her childhood – from wedding songs and women’s drumming circles to the mystical chants of the pearl divers (Fijiri).
“I was able to dive deeper into the music I grew up with,” says Ahmed, “music that I never truly appreciated as a child.” It was only through her path as a musician that she rediscovered the beauty of her roots. Today, she transforms these influences into music that is both deeply personal and universally moving.
Line-up:
Yazz Ahmed – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ralph Wyld – Vibraphone
Dave Manington – Bass
Rod Youngs – Drums
LOS SARA FONTAN
Saturday, October 11, 2025, Bears in the Park, Eyzinggasse 12, 1110 Vienna, 19:00 (2 concerts, 2 performances)
Violins, pedals, synthesizers, drums, triggers, pads, cowbells, and metal plates – from this array of instruments, Los Sara Fontan create their unique sonic universe. The duo from Barcelona – Sara Fontan and Edi Pou – develop their artistic practice through improvisation, embracing mistakes as creative potential and viewing physicality and its sonic extensions as a central source of musical material.
Line-up:
Sara Fontan – Violin, Electronics
Edi Pou – Drums, Electronics
HELENE GLÜXAM
Saturday, October 11, 2025, Bears in the Park, Eyzinggasse 12, 1110 Vienna, 19:00 (2 concerts, 2 performances)
The tension between the deep resonance of the double bass and the bright timbre of the voice forms the starting point for Helene Glüxam’s solo project. The minimalist instrumentation underscores the intimacy of her compositions, inspired by natural images such as “Wellensturm” and “Lichtungen.”
At the center lies her personal connection to the instrument and its sound – an inseparable unity in the creative process. This creates a space in which she explores her different voices, employs unconventional playing techniques, and experiments with captivating song forms.
GIGGIDALESSIO (Sound Performance) / DAPHNA HORENCZYK (Dance Performance)
Curated by Bears in the Park, two distinct artistic performances will also be presented alongside the concerts: A dance performance by Daphna Horenczyk brings back a recurring stage character who awkwardly yet movingly navigates the challenges of a confusing, hypersensitive present.
In addition, the performance art duo giggidalessio presents their first joint project, ANGST – a program in which performance, music, obsessive repetitions, and new media merge into a powerful unity.
PARK JIHA
Sunday, October 12, 2025, Reaktor, 15:00, Geblergasse 40, 1170 Vienna
Park Jiha – Between Tradition and Radical Reinvention
The South Korean composer Park Jiha masterfully balances cultural heritage and improvisation. With her reinterpretations of traditional instruments such as the Yanggeum (hammered dulcimer), Saenghwang (mouth organ with free reeds), and Piri (double-reed bamboo oboe), she breaks through classical paradigms and develops an innovative form of minimalism.
Her timeless laments move between profound meditation and dramatic dynamics – sounding like a prophecy of tomorrow.
ABOUT DE/SEMBLE
Launched in 2022 as “de/semble — don’t play me”, a project spotlighting women instrumentalists in jazz, DE/SEMBLE has since grown into a festival that continues to place fair representation and artistic diversity at its core.
INFO
https://www.de-semble.at / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/de_semble/ /
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desemble/
https://kupfticket.com/en/events/desemble-festival-2025
CONTACT
Regina Fisch (Founder & Director) – regina@de-semble.at