Each month, we spotlight up-and-coming jazz artists from Austria as part of the “5 Million Pesos” series — a monthly concert and radio broadcast dedicated to young jazz in and from Austria, presented by Radiokulturhaus Vienna and the Ö1 Jazz Department. For September, the spotlight shines on Fabian Schumann.
Concert: FRI | Sep. 11, 2026 | 8:00 PM | Radiokulturhaus, RadioCafe
Broadcast: Ö1 Jazznacht TBA
In collaboration with the Ö1 Jazz editorial team.
Fabian Schumann solo
Fabian Schumann (zither, electric zither)
“Strom” is the title of the album released by Jazzit:Edition in Salzburg, with which Fabian Schumann made a splash in early 2026: On this debut album, Schumann plays the zither, but he plays it differently than one is accustomed to. It’s also different from the approach of Christof Dienz, who uses a loop station to create groovy patterns. Schumann often shapes his compositions from improvisations, incorporating elements of jazz (he has studied John Scofield in particular), folk music, and contemporary electronica.
Schumann grew up in Kassel and has been living in Salzburg for several years, where he studied at the Mozarteum and immersed himself in the community surrounding the Jazzit, the most important jazz club in Mozart’s city. Fabian Schumann’s goal is to free the zither from its dusty image and establish it as a contemporary instrument. With the album “Strom”—the program of which he will also perform at Vienna’s RadioCafe—he has already come a good deal closer to achieving this.
“5 Million Pesos” – Young Jazz in and from Austria. A concert series presented by ORF RadioKulturhaus Vienna and the Ö1 Jazz Editorial Team.