Biography
Richie Winkler
Musician (saxophones, clarinets) and Composer/Arranger
Richie Winkler is a musician travelling inside the music. He plays his instruments on a very sophisticated level and with great intensity, taking his audiences onto exciting melodic journeys.
Richie studied saxophone at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, which ultimately lead him to a variety of instruments: alto and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet and an oriental metal clarinet.
In addition to being a well-respected and admired musician, Richie is also a highly regarded composer and arranger, always in search for the essence within the music in all its variations and stylistic facets.
Richie´s musical career has taken over nearly every continent on earth.
Early on, Richie had been engaged with the Opera Graz as well as the Schauspielhaus Graz as musician in the productions “Black Rider”, “Some Like It Hot”, “Janis Joplin”, “Jesus Christ Super Star”, and “Lulu”. In the musical production "Nonnsense" he was entrusted with the overall musical direction.
Playing at the most important festivals and in renowned clubs, Richie has been on the road through West and East-Europe for years with outstanding bands such as Sandy Lopicic Orkestar, Bucovina Club Orkestar and DJ Shantel, Sandala Orkestar, the fusion jazz band Quadrat, the groove jazz band Orange with singer Dean Bowman. The album of this project also features Randy Brecker on trumpet.
Scurdia, another project Richie Winkler is involved with, has been existing for 35 years, and is a melting pot of many amazing musicians from all over the world, based in Austria.
In 2015, a musical-theater project was initiated by Roman Britschgi leading to multiple performances on a metallic water lily in cities around Lake Lucerne. Kombinat Alpenroesli.
In 2016 Richie used to compose and perform for the festival insel.klang.tage for ensemble with organ, strings, brass section and singers, where he created a musical world between contemporary music and jazz.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8KIIjsmM-_P80HuppGToNg
Since 2009 Richie is musician (also a founding member), composer and arranger of the vibrant and highly acclaimed GMH-Orkestar (Das Großmütterchen Hatz Salon Orkestar – www.gmhorkestar.at ), which in 2016 decided to merge with the Trio Klok to become the project Großmüttercehn Hatz.
Richie Winkler is not only well known for his live performances but, maybe above all by his multi-layered compositions and arrangements for the Sandy Lopicic Orkestar, for Saxquadrat (a saxophone quartet), for orchestra and choirs, and not to forget his excellent works created for Grandmothers Hatz. In recent years Richie has also composed and arranged for the GMH - More Piece Band, which premiered at the Wiener Konzerthaus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze5VoryWHRw&list=PL7WO1Vl6xo6cIgzZnwns-isGOmgxFVVHJ&index=11
On the CD publication - Terry Goes Around – some tracks are included from this line-up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN-ExLbFIuY&list=PL7WO1Vl6xo6cIgzZnwns-isGOmgxFVVHJ&index=14
In 2017 the latest CD of the band Großmütterchen Hatz & Klok - Salon Oskar - was recorded and presented on May 4th, 2017 at the Musikverein Wien.
Also in 2017, Großmütterchen Hatz & Klok was commissioned to design the live program " Spielräume - 50 Jahre Ö1 " which was live aired on national radio and aired on national TV (ORF III).
Beside all this Projects and his work as teacher for saxophone at the J.J. Fux Konservatory in Graz, Austria, Richie used to develop another jazz project, the Duo Project FJORD with Burkhard Frauenlob on piano and Richie on saxophones and bass clarinet.
This project has in 2018 evolved into the Richie Winkler Project - feat. Frauenlob/Stolz/Derschmidt
This is the high recommended Jazz Project for our Future! Take a look at the Project Information Site!
Richie played at Clubs and Festivals around the World like....
Jazzfestival Cairo, Cairo Jazz Club, Northsea Jazzfestival Niederlande, Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Dours Festival Belgien, Paleo Festival in Nyon, Melkweg Roots Festival Amsterdam, Volxklang Tutzing, Swing on Snow SÜDTIROL, Jewish-Festival-WARSCHAU, POLAND, Tatschikistan - Top of the Roof Festival, Kasachstan - Astana, Albanien - Tirana, Korçë, Nottinghamfestival, UK,Internationales Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Salzburger Festspieleröffnung, Oslo Kosmopolit Worldmusic Festival, Glazart in Paris, Lent Festival Maribor, Southside Festival, Hurricane Festival, Seagate Festival Ungarn, Tillburg Holland, Kals´Art Palermo, Cosmopolis Festival Kavala Griechenland, Rom Fandango Jazz Festival, Zürich Moods, Aerodrom Berlin, Dampfzentrale Bern, Stadtgarten Köln, Feuerwache Mannheim, Popdeurope Berlin, X-Tra in Zürich, Zeltival Festival Karlsruhe, Festival Burg Herzburg, Kulturzentrum K4 Nürnberg, Jazzfest Saalfelden, Jazzit in Salzburg, Spielboden in Dornbirn, Posthof Linz, Kik Ried im Innkreis , Jazzsommer Graz, Club Ost Wien, CCW Wolkenstein, B-Flat Berlin ...Festival Amsterdam, Frankfurt Schauspiel, Kasematte Mainz, E-Werk Erlangen, Oslo Kosmopolit – Worldmusic Festival, Wuk Wien, PPC Graz, Marburg Kfz, Green Water Festival Bratislava, FZW Dortmund, Bavarian Open Funkhaus München, Babylon Istanbul, Aerodrome Wien, Jazzhaus Freiburg, Glazart in Paris, Fabrik Hamburg, Ufa Fabrik Berlin, Sziget Festival Ungarn, Tillburg Holland, Festival Sarajevo, Kals´Art Palermo, Cosmopolis Festival Kavala Griechenland, Rom Fandango Jazz Festival, Zürich Moods, Pula, Spiegelzelt Freiburg, Koblenz Festival Horizonte, Porgy Wien, Szene Wien, Reigen Wien, Orpheum Graz, Postgarage Graz, PPC Graz, Konzerthaus Wien, Linz, Dom im Berg Graz, München, Oper Dresden, Burg Gallenstein, Bisceglie Italien, Radio Warschau Polen, Kik Ried im Innkreis , Jazzsommer Graz, Jazzfabrik Gleisdorf, Forum Stadpark Graz, Wist Graz, Stockwerk Graz, Sargfabrik Wien, Club Ost Wien, CCW Wolkenstein, Schlosskeller Burgau, Theaterkeller Zeltweg, Marenzikeller Leibnitz, Babü Wolkersdorf, 9er Bar, ....