my story

If you just want to read a short bio you can skip to it here:

English / Deutsch

But if you’d like to find out how I went from a picture-perfect village in the Austrian Alps, to the jazz scene of New York City, to carrying the unique distinction of being the first woman in the WDR Big Band Cologne to leading my quartet KLARO! — read on.

Austria

My first encounter with the power of music was watching my father morph from down-to-earth forest ranger to fiery “conductor” of the Vienna Philharmonic right in our living room, wearing huge headphones, belting out bass lines and his hands stabbing the air. What was this mysterious force that could transform him like that?

As a child I played the recorder, piano and flute in folk and classical music ensembles. But teenage diversions such as horses and discotheques lured me away from music altogether until one morning, on my commute to school, a friend dumped a plastic bag full of tapes she had snatched from her older sister’s declutter pile in my lap. I took my walkman, stuck my head into the bag and grabbed a tape marked: Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue. Without the slightest inkling of how my life was about to change, I pressed play.

I was electrified. What kind of music is this? Which instruments? I had no idea. But I knew one thing: I HAVE to do this!

My grandfather, an amateur conductor, was the musical authority in our family. After listening to the tape for a few minutes he said, “Hmm, I think it’s jazz!” Further research revealed that what spoke to me so powerfully were Cannonball Adderley and his alto saxophone.

I sold my moped, begged my father for a loan and bought a beautiful Selmer. Just a few months later, it was clear that the alto saxophone would set my life’s trajectory.

At the university in Graz I noticed that there were hardly any other female instrumentalists at the jazz department. It dawned on me that there would be things to deal with besides learning how to play. Never wanting to be “the girl in the band,” I adopted a style a bit like Harry Potter’s; round glasses, short hair, biker jacket—anything to blend in with the guys.

But I have found a way to be a woman AND a jazz saxophonist. Devoting myself to music and evolving as a musician and human being have pointed me toward a femininity that has just a pinch of grit necessary to thrive in a completely male-dominated field. Today I find great satisfaction in coaching young women (for example, through the Women in Jazz Organization Mentors program).

New York

After completing my studies in Austria I went to New York. Again, I was electrified. What was meant to be one semester turned into an extended period of over 15 years of intensive learning and growing. I played with Chico Hamilton, the Diva Jazz Orchestra, Nancy Wilson and many more and got to perform at legendary venues like Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Birdland, and The Blue Note. I am deeply grateful for these opportunities and their profound impact. My Alpine ancestors gave me a thirst for adventure. But fifteen years on the New York jazz scene transformed me and drew out a courage I didn’t know I possessed.

Cologne

I joined the WDR Big Band Cologne in 2004 as the first woman in any radio big band. My arrival caused a media blitz from daily newspapers to women’s magazines. There she was again, the “girl in the band.” Still, I was not comfortable with the role of the pioneer women. But this, too, is part of my story. Today I am very thankful for the opportunity to break ground.

Performing with charismatic guest artist such as McCoy Tyner, Joe Zawinul, Joe Lovano, Maceo Parker and working with sonic visionaries like Vince Mendoza, Mike Abene and Bob Mintzer has expanded my musical and personal horizon.

KLARO!

The person I love collaborating with the most outside the WDR Big Band is my husband, drummer Drori Mondlak. Together we lead the quartet KLARO!. Being partners in life and in music has fostered a deep trust and familiarity. And I simply enjoy playing music with him.

The quest for one’s own voice as a musician is a life-long task. The outbound journey, out into the world, has taken me to some exotic places. However, what captivates me today is the exploration of my inner landscape—of those sounds that want to emerge from me, the tugs of my heart. Practicing music sometimes feels like descending into a coal mine with a pickaxe and a headlamp, trying to unearth the little gems and sounds that move me. I recently composed a piece dedicated to this search. We are not coal miners, but Soul Miners. And this is how I understand my work as a musician.

I write music to give and to bring something beautiful into the world—my idea of beauty. Beauty defies definition, but I believe that beauty is whatever has the power to move the heart.

Music is precious because it is something I do WITH other people. And FOR other people. It makes me feel incredibly vibrant and alive. It gives me energy, a sense of freedom and a way to collaborate and communicate. I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than that.

Cologne, April 2020