ROLAND BATIK: A Wanderer Between Musical Worlds
Roland Batik, born in Vienna, bridges tradition and modernity as well as classical music and jazz. As a “wanderer between musical worlds,” he is considered one of the country’s most versatile musicians. The musical language of this pianist and composer transcends traditional boundaries. Roland Batik sees himself as a pianist who also composes. The path to his compositions always leads through the piano and improvisation.

Friedrich Gulda as the Spark
As a teenager, Roland Batik actually wanted to become the keyboardist for a major rock or pop band. “The Who” and “Queen,” Keith Emerson, and others were his role models. The decisive impetus for his musical development came from attending a concert in 1971 featuring a performance of Friedrich Gulda’s “Concertino for Players and Singers.” Roland Batik became a student of Walter Fleischmann at the Vienna Academy of Music (now the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna). Shortly thereafter, he enrolled at the Jazz Institute of the Vienna Conservatory, which Erich Kleinschuster had founded in 1969 (today: Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna). There he studied jazz piano with Fritz Pauer and took lessons with Friedrich Gulda. Even during his studies, Batik was a successful composer of several stage scores for the Burgtheater in Vienna.