Carinthian Pianist Thomas Quendler wins the Ö1 Jazz Scholarship 2025
In its eighth edition, the Ö1 Jazz Scholarship was awarded in 2025, and the winner is: Thomas Quendler. The 24-year-old pianist will benefit from a two-year program at the Jam Music Lab Private University in Vienna and a CD production with Quinton Records, the Vienna-based label run by producer Andreas Rathammer. Quendler follows in the footsteps of previous winners Robert Unterköfler (2018), Lukas Aichinger (2019), Constanze Friedel (2020), Madeleine Kaindl (2021), Alan Bartuš (2022), Andreas Varady (2023), and Nina Feldgrill (2024), all of whom were granted the scholarship by the jury in previous years. In 2025, the jury was expanded from three to six members: in addition to guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, U.S. producer Jeffrey Levenson, and Ö1 Jazz editorial head Andreas Felber, the panel now also includes Elke Tschaikner (head of Ö1’s music department), Anke Fischer (Elbphilharmonie Hamburg), and Dietmar Petschl (ORF television culture).
Jam Music Lab rector Marcus Ratka presented Thomas Quendler with the scholarship certificate on Ö1 Jazz Day, April 30, 2025, at Salzburg’s Jazzit during the evening’s live concert broadcast.
Thomas Quendler, born on November 16, 2000, is from Wolfsberg in Carinthia. His musical journey began with the Styrian harmonica, which he swapped for the piano at age 13. During his studies at the upper-level secondary school (BORG) and music school in Wolfsberg—where he studied with Roman Wohofsky—his interest in jazz was sparked, with lasting effects: from 2018 to 2020, Quendler studied jazz piano with Rob Bargad at the Gustav Mahler Private University in Klagenfurt (preparatory studies), followed by studies from 2020 to 2024 with Olaf Polziehn at the renowned Jazz Institute of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. Since 2022, he has also been studying instrumental and vocal pedagogy in Graz.
Over the years, Quendler has gained stage experience with fusion-heavy bands such as Kernfusion (which performed at the Bratislava Jazz Days in 2019) and Originalnerds, with whom he also made his first album recordings. His trio with Jakob Gönitzer (double bass) and Andreas Reisenhofer (drums), however, leans more toward traditional jazz. With this trio, Quendler impressed the jury at the final audition for the 2025 Ö1 Jazz Scholarship at the ORF RadioKulturhaus in Vienna. The debut album with this lineup, titled Awaking, will be released in summer 2025 by Double Moon in the Jazzthing – Next Generation series. His musical role models include Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Brad Mehldau, as well as younger pianists such as Aaron Parks, Sullivan Fortner, and Shai Maestro. Quendler is well aware of the rich history of the classic jazz piano trio: “I try to play things in my own way,” said the 24-year-old in an interview with the Ö1 jazz editorial team.
Why did Thomas Quendler apply for the Ö1 Jazz Scholarship despite already having partially completed his studies in Graz? To gain new input from different sources and continue developing as a musician—that is his goal, says Quendler, who is also following the advice of Olaf Polziehn. His preferred mentor at Jam Music Lab is U.S. pianist Danny Grissett, who lives in Vienna and whom he has already seen perform in a duo with Polziehn in Graz.
What does it take to succeed as a jazz musician? “A lot of hard work,” says Quendler, “as well as openness and a willingness to grow.”
Text: Andreas Felber, Ö1 Department for Jazz, Popular, and World Music
