Christa Bruckner-Haring

Research Assistant at the Institute for Jazz Research of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria).
[email protected]

Biographical Sketch and Research Direction:
Degrees in Music Education and Piano (University of Music and Performing Arts Graz – KUG) as well as Spanish (Karl Franzens University Graz). Worked as a piano teacher 2003–2009. Master's dissertation in Jazz and Popular Music Research: "The style of Gonzalo Rubalcaba between Cuban tradition and jazz". Research assistant at the KUG Institute for Jazz Research since 2008; since 2010 project associate on the HERA-funded research project Rhythm Changes: Jazz Cultures & European Identities. Visiting researcher in fall term 2009 at the Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ. International lectures and publications with the main focus on musical transcription, analysis and jazz in Europe (see bibliography)


Women in contemporary Austrian jazz
The three-year interdisciplinary research project Rhythm Changes: Jazz Cultures and European Identities examines inherited traditions and practices of European jazz cultures. Part of the project is the investigation of individual aspects of the current jazz scene in Austria in order to obtain an overview of the situation and importance of jazz within the larger music culture. Jazz was quick to earn a place in Austria, a country deeply steeped in musical history and famous for its classical composers. Especially after World War II jazz scenes rapidly evolved in Vienna and Graz, led by internationally successful musicians like Hans Koller or Joe Zawinul. In recent decades, male jazz musicians have dominated the Austrian jazz scene.

After giving an overview of the current situation of jazz within the Austrian cultural landscape, this paper will examine the current position of women in the jazz scene based on the collation and analysis of comprehensive data concerning gender distribution provided by the national music centre, MICA, and student information from Austrian arts universities. Qualitative interviews conducted with experts from different areas of the jazz scene will complement this data, exposing different viewpoints on this multifaceted topic.

The results will contribute to the overall description of the current jazz scene in Austria, as well as providing a basis for translational comparisons with other Rhythm Changes partner countries.