Yvonne Moriel: Sweet Life
Image: Alex Gotter | Tobias Paal
November 6 | 6:30 PM
TICKETS AVAILABLE IN DUE TIME
Join us for a thrilling evening as Austrian Saxophonist Yvonne Moriel, who hast won the Austrian Jazz Award for Best Newcomer in 2024, and her sweetlife quartet fuse jazz, dub, and electronics to premiere their debut album.
About the Concert
Led by Austrian Jazz Award Best Newcomer Yvonne Moriel, the sweetlife quartet arrives in New York with a daring collision of jazz, dub and electronics. Since forming in 2022, this ensemble, hailed by Austrian Music Export as one of the nation’s most promising young jazz groups, has stunned audiences from the Kickjazz Festival at Porgy & Bess to an ecstatic debut at the International Jazzfestival Saalfelden. Their music marries free-jazz–inspired improvisations with intricate, hip-hop–tinged rhythms, while rich dub effects and electronic textures push every composition beyond traditional boundaries. Fresh from their November 2024 EP and on the cusp of unveiling their 2025 debut album, Moriel and her bandmates offer an exhilarating, genre-defying experience that reimagines what modern jazz can be.
About the Artists
Yvonne Moriel (saxophone, flute), recently honored with the Austrian Jazz Award for Best Newcomer, studied both classical and jazz saxophone before rapidly establishing her distinctive voice on the European scene. As leader of the sweetlife quartet, she blends jazz, dub, and electronics into adventurous soundscapes. Moriel is also a member of acclaimed ensembles such as Shake Stew and Christian Muthspiel’s Orjazztra, has appeared monthly at Porgy & Bess in Vienna, and was commissioned to open the Main Stage at the International Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2026.
Stephanie Weninger (moog, keys) holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Jazz Piano and Instrumental & Vocal Pedagogy, and earned a full scholarship to Berklee’s Women’s Performance Program. Equally at home in concert halls and the studio, she has performed at Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Ronacher, Konzerthaus, and Berklee Performance Center, and contributed to ORF productions including Dancing Stars and Starmania. Her own Stephanie Weninger Quartet showcases her original compositions and improvisational flair.
Lorenz Widauer (trumpet), trained in classical trumpet in Innsbruck and Vienna before shifting to jazz trumpet under Lars Seniuk at MUK Vienna. As solo chair in big bands from Orjazztra Vienna to the Vienna Composers Bigband, and collaborator with ensembles ranging from Synchron Stage Vienna to pop acts like Laura Zotti, he brings both technical command and stylistic versatility. A recipient of the Hubert von Goisern Kulturpreis and the Joe Zawinul Award, Widauer leads projects in modern jazz and fusion, including his Mashed Peas collective.
Raphael Vorraber (drums) studied Jazz Drums performance and pedagogy at the Universities of Music and Arts in Graz and Vienna. Based in Vienna, he pursues odd-but-good rhythmic feels inspired by Otis Jackson Jr. and Elvin Jones. An in-demand collaborator in jazz, neo-soul, and hip-hop, his recent work “313” with Suluka premiered summer 2023. As a dedicated educator, he teaches masterclasses on hip-hop grooves and serves as a visiting artist at MDW and Johannes Brahms Music School.