They say nothing brings people together quite like a shared crime. Fortunately, however, that wasn’t necessary in this case! Instead, a daring musical adventure has bound me to the Jazzorchester Vorarlberg forever: the world premiere of my first symphony, “And The Moon And The Stars And The World.” For this, the Jazzorchester merged with the Vorarlberg Symphony Orchestra in 2014 to form an explosive sonic giant. And now I once again have the great pleasure of setting out on a journey with this intrepid Jazz Orchestra. As part of its 20th anniversary, we are performing my very first concert program, which premiered right here at Porgy & Bess back in 2009: Ladies and Gentlemen, “Hermannology” is back! I raise my glass to the Jazz Orchestra Vorarlberg, to 20 years of refreshing music-making, and to many more adventures together! (Gerd Hermann Ortler, March 2026)

The Jazzorchester Vorarlberg (JOV) was founded in 2005 by Martin Eberle and Martin Franz as a big band to provide a professional platform for the local jazz and improvisation scene. Since then, the experimental ensemble has made a name for itself internationally through cross-genre projects, numerous collaborations with internationally recognized artists, composers and collectives, various CD productions, press reviews and concerts in Austria, Germany and Switzerland and has established itself as a professional orchestra in the Austrian jazz scene.