Big Band Open Air - Big Band Hartberg & Big Band Kulmination

What's it about?

A weekend full of swing in August. SWINGING HARTBERG launches a new, three-day event series with cool jazz sounds in Hartberg. From August 21st to 23rd, 2026, three evenings full of energy, rhythm, and musical diversity await you, organized by the municipality of Hartberg. On Friday, August 21st, 2026, starting at 7 PM, the weekend kicks off with various swing formations in Hartberg's main square with free admission, concluding on Sunday, August 23rd, 2026, at 11 AM with a jazz brunch in the garden of Gasthof Pack "Zur Lebing Au". The program highlight of Swinging Hartberg is the "Big Band Open Air": Saturday, August 22nd, 2026, 7:30 PM "Big Band Open Air" with the Big Band Hartberg and the Big Band Kulmination, Schlosshof Hartberg (bad weather: Festsaal of Stadtwerke-Hartberg-Halle). The Big Band Hartberg, under the musical direction of Fritz Borecky, and the Big Band Kulmination, under the direction of Alfred Lang, jointly invite you to the grand open-air concert in Schlosshof Hartberg. From classic swing arrangements to modern big band sounds – the program combines tradition and fresh sound for an unforgettable summer experience. Under the direction of Alfred Lang, the band has developed an unmistakable musical character. The diverse program includes swing classics, for example by Duke Ellington or Count Basie from the 1930s and 1940s, as well as contemporary compositions arranged by members of the Big Band. Of course, highlights from the last 20 years of the band's history are also included. Classic big band sound meets innovative arrangements, refined by the charismatic voice of Katrin Kanya. BBK is the short form for Big Band Kulmination and represents the band name of a big band that has its roots around the East Styrian Kulm. The idea for founding a big band in the Kulm area and surroundings came from the Big Band Leader Fredi Lang, who, in a kind of personal union, acts as conductor, improvisation trumpeter, ultimate musical authority, and vice-chairman with an inter-big-band mediation mandate for interpersonal conflict potential and hotbeds of conflict when searching for new pieces of music and their alignment with the taste of the Big Band members. What is special about this Big Band: It has not only grown together musically but has become a true musical family. Since 2004, the Bigband Kulmination has interpreted the pieces with great passion and dedication. Line-up Big Band Kulmination: Alfred Lang, Leader, Trumpet; Katrin Kanya, Vocals; Karl-Heinz Halek, Drums; Wolfgang Kulmer, Electric Bass, Double Bass; Sebastian Meißl, Guitar; Gernot Walser, Piano; Saxophone: Robert Marterer, Bianca Friesenbichler, Stefan Kaufmann, Werner Reiter, Gernot Muhr; Trombone: Peter Grabner, Mario Pirkheim, Franz Maier, Matthias Halek; Trumpet: Thomas Hörmann, Wolfgang Winkler, Peter Grabmayer, Peter Gruber, Claudia Höfer.