NÖ Jazz Academy Zeillern 2026: JAM Faculty members at the Jazz Workshop
A full week of jazz, ensemble playing, theory, big band, concerts and late-night sessions: From 2 to 8 August 2026, the NÖ Jazz Academy Zeillern brings musicians together in the special setting of Schloss Zeillern. Several faculty members connected to the JAM MUSIC LAB Private University Vienna will be part of the programme.
NÖ Jazz Academy Zeillern 2026: Learn, Play and Experience Jazz
For musicians who want to deepen their jazz skills in an intensive workshop setting, the NÖ Jazz Academy Zeillern 2026 offers a compact and practice-oriented programme between lessons, ensemble work and live performance. From 2 to 8 August 2026, students, young musicians and jazz enthusiasts will gather at Schlosshotel Zeillern near Amstetten to work with a distinguished team of tutors.
For students of the JAM MUSIC LAB Private University Vienna, the Jazz Academy is especially relevant: Engel Mayr, Richard Graf and Marina Zettl are among the faculty members involved. The workshop offers a chance to take musical impulses from one’s studies into a new environment, develop them further and work with musicians from different backgrounds.
JAM Faculty in the Tutor Team
Engel Mayr, lecturer and Head of the Department for Jazz & Popular Music at the JAM MUSIC LAB Private University Vienna, will teach guitar at the Jazz Academy. Known as guitarist, songwriter and producer of the band Russkaja, and as a versatile musician with strong roots in blues and rock, he brings wide-ranging stage, studio and teaching experience to Zeillern.
Richard Graf, Vice Rector for Teaching and Digitalisation at JAM MUSIC LAB University, will teach theory. His approach to music theory and composition is practical and directly connected to the needs of musicians – an especially valuable perspective for students working between jazz theory, composition and artistic practice.
Marina Zettl is a vocalist, musician and co-creator of Open Jazz Vienna, and one of the distinctive voices of the Austrian jazz and swing scene. At Zeillern, she will teach vocals and bring her experience as a performer, bandleader and stylistically versatile musician to the programme.
Herwig Gradischnig, one of the renowned reed players of the European jazz scene, will also be part of the tutor team in the saxophone department. Other tutors include Christoph Cech, Dominik Fuss, Alois Eberl, Fabian Rucker, Emil Spányi, Gina Schwarz, Peter Schönbauer, Walter Grassmann and Martin Wöss.
From Jazz Theory to Late-Night Sessions
The daily schedule of the NÖ Jazz Academy is intensive and practice-based: mornings are dedicated to instrumental lessons and jazz theory, afternoons focus on rhythm training and ensemble playing. In the evenings, participants work in big band settings or attend concerts, while nights are reserved for sessions.
The workshop combines key elements of a strong jazz education: technical development on the instrument, theoretical understanding, ensemble experience, stage practice and direct exchange with experienced musicians.
Public Concerts during the Jazz Academy
The Jazz Academy also features a public concert programme:
- Sun, 2 August 2026, 9.00 pm: Opening Concert – Christoph Cech’s CCJOP Big Band Project
- Mon, 3 August 2026, 9.00 pm: Gina Schwarz with ELMO NERO
- Tue, 4 August 2026, 9.00 pm: Tutor Team Session
- Wed, 5 August 2026, 9.00 pm: Musicians of the Lower Austrian Youth Jazz Orchestra
- Thu, 6 August 2026, 9.00 pm: Vocal Summit – Participants of the Vocal Class
- Fri, 7 August 2026, 7.30 pm: Final Concert by the Participants
Registration and Further Information
Registration for the NÖ Jazz Academy is immediately binding, and a course place is only secured once payment has been received. Requirements include music-reading skills and jazz experience or a classical music background. Accommodation is available at Schlosshotel Zeillern and in the surrounding area.
Full details on registration, course fees, accommodation, cancellation conditions and participation requirements are available on the official Musikfabrik NÖ website.
(c) pic by Lara Tomasic
