photo by Thomas Lieser
CV
Vincent Pongracz is a clarinet player, composer and videographer born 1985 in Korneuburg, Austria. He is currently living and working in Vienna.
EDUCATION
2005 high school diploma at https://www.walz.at (art oriented high school)
2009 and 2011 Impuls Masterclasses with Ernesto Molinari, Uli Fussenegger and Beat Furrer
2011 Composition Classes with Mathias Rüegg
2012 Erasmus exchange at the Academy of Music and Drama Gothenburg (https://www.gu.se/en/music-drama)
2013 Bachelor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (https://www.mdw.ac.at) with Klaus Dickbauer
2016 Master in Music Performance at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory Copenhagen (https://rmc.dk/en)
AWARDS
2013 Start Stipendium (Federal Chancellery of Austria)
2014 SKE Publicity Price
2020 Staatsstipendium (Federal Chancellery of Austria)
2020 German Record Critics Award for “Pickedem”
2022 Composition Scholarship Cultural Department City of Vienna
2022 Indie House Film Festival „Best Music Video“ for „Synesthetic4 – Tuuth“
2022 Matrix Film Festival „Best Music Video“ for „Synesthetic4 – Tuuth“
2022 Official Selection of Vagrant Film Festival „Synesthetic4 – Tuuth“
2023 Official Selection of Cannes Independent Film Festival „Synesthetic4 – Skipping (short film)“
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
26.03.2023 Wiener Konzerthaus, Berio Saal // SYNESTHETIC OCTET
29.12.2022 Porgy & Bess, Vienna // LEELAH
28.12.2022 Spielboden, Dornbirn // LEELAH
04.11.2022 Jazzfestival Berlin // SYNESTHETIC4
12.07.2022 Maribor // MASH
02.07.2022 Alto Adige Jazz Festival // SYNESTHETIC4
01.07.2022 Schwere Reiter, München // SYNESTHETIC4
14.05.2022 Gemischter Satz, Wiener Konzerthaus // SYNESTHETIC4
12.05.2022 Jazz Fest Trondheim // SYNESTHETIC4
16.03.2022 Wiener Konzerthaus, Klangforum // HY COTYL
14.03.2022 Porgy & Bess, Wien // SYNESTHETIC IVO
11.09.2021 Opus Jazz Club, Budapest // MASH
24.08.2021 Europäisches Forum Alpbach, Komposition "Hy Cotyl", Alpbach // KLANGFORUM WIEN
29.04.2021 Jazzahead, Bremen // SYNESTHETIC4
07.10.2020 Porgy & Bess, Wien // SYNESTHETIC4
20.11.2019 Konzerthaus, Wien, CD RELEASE! // SYNESTHETIC4
31.10.2019 Vortex, London, UK //ROM / PONGRACZ
05.07.2019 JiGG, Lissabon // SYNESTHETIC4
03.07.2019 Sajeta Art & Music Festival, Tolmin // SYNESTHETIC4
19.06.2019 Ljubljana Jazz Festival // SYNESTHETIC4
27.04.2019 April Jazz, Espoo, Finnland // SYNESTHETIC4
08.02.2019 Budapest Music Center // SYNESTHETIC4
29.11.2018 Harringtons, Kapstadt // SYNESTHETIC4
23.11.2018 Orbit Jazz Club, Johannesburg // SYNESTHETIC4
25.08.2018 Jazz Festival Saalfelden // SYNESTHETIC4
02.03.2018 Jazzwerkstatt Bern // SYNESTHETIC4
01.11.2016 JazzLab, Hamburg // SYNESTHETIC4
27.10.2016 B-Flat, Berlin // SYNESTHETIC4
28.07.2016 Wellenklänge, Lunz am See // SYNESTHETIC OCTET
05.03.2014 Jazzwerkstatt Wien ZOOM! Festival // SYNESTHETIC OCTET
2011 / 2012 Porgy & Bess Stage Band
TEACHING AND CURATING
2023 Workshop about artistic development for the We:Create program of the Wellenklänge Festival
2019 „Music Creation“ workshop at Intertonale Scheibbs for 6 days
Artistic direction of the concert series Synesthetic Wednesday since 2018 at Rhiz Vienna
PRESS
„Pongrácz is a young arranger and composer that must be taken seriously.
He fortunately also plays his instrument very well.“
" (The Synesthetic Octet is) kind of an All-Star-Ensemble
of the progressive young scene…”
(Falter)
„Lucky is the band leader that presents
such a mature debut!“
„...a truly extraordinary achievement of a
great arranger and composer. Chapeau!“
(Skug)
“…the great discovery of the Festival…”
(Tom Gsteiger, Der Bund, 03/2018)
