Music in the Woods 2026: Five Days, 30 Musicians, One Creative Community
For five days, the quiet surroundings of Gutenbrunn in Austria’s Waldviertel were filled with new songs, film scores, conversations and creative experiments. From 16 to 20 September, we held the third edition of Music in the Woods 2026—an intensive media music workshop bringing together 30 musicians from across Austria.
Selected from around 120 applications, every participant received a full scholarship covering the programme, accommodation and meals. They arrived with different backgrounds and ambitions: film composers, producers, game-audio specialists, singer-songwriters and solo artists, each with their own musical voice. Yet what defined the week was not competition. It was the openness with which ideas were shared, the readiness to help one another and the feeling that everyone’s work could grow through collaboration.
The programme opened windows into many corners of the professional music world. Emmy-nominated composer Lawrence Shragge shared insights gained from creating more than 160 film and television scores. Composer, pianist and conductor Bernhard Melbye Voss, who conducts recording sessions at Synchron Stage Vienna for productions by Disney, Netflix, Marvel and Warner Bros., brought participants closer to the practical world of orchestral film scoring.
Singer-songwriter and producer SLOMO spoke about contemporary songwriting and music production. Martin Brem, former Head of Global Music Services at Red Bull, offered practical perspectives on the international music business and the connection between music, media and global brands.
An important part of the programme was also the workshop with Susanne Lontzen, Leiterin Mitglieder & Kommunikation at AKM – Autoren, Komponisten und Musikverleger. She offered practical insights into copyright, royalties and collective rights management—essential knowledge for musicians who want to build a sustainable professional career while retaining control of their creative work.
Further input came from producer and music-industry expert Jeff Levenson. The five-day programme was led by Michael Klimas and Oliver Schmellenkamp, Head of the Media Music Department at JAM MUSIC LAB Privatuniversität für Jazz und Popularmusik Wien.
Between the lectures and workshops, the real heart of Music in the Woods could be heard everywhere: in spontaneous collaborations, unfinished melodies drifting from rehearsal rooms and conversations that continued long after the official programme had ended. On the fourth day, the participants presented their work to guests from music, media, culture and politics.
Music in the Woods 2026 was also featured by ORF Niederösterreich, which reported on the exchange between emerging talents and experienced music professionals. The report also highlighted former participant Tamara Flores, whose path after Music in the Woods has already led to a Latin Grammy nomination.
Music in the Woods 2026 may have lasted only five days, but the music, friendships and new collaborations created there will continue. Once again, the forest became more than a setting—it became a place where young musicians could listen, experiment and discover what becomes possible when talent meets trust.
Music in the Woods is organised by JAM MUSIC LAB Privatuniversität für Jazz und Popularmusik Wien, AKM and Veranstalterverband Österreich, with support from the SKE Fonds.
