MEL*E win Austria’s Live Act 2026 jazz award
The Vienna trio’s acoustic and electronic interplay receives national recognition ahead of November’s ceremony in Graz.
MEL*E have been named Live Act 2026 at the Austrian Jazz Awards. Austrian Music Export announced the winners on 20 October, with the ceremony scheduled for 28 November at Dom im Berg in Graz.
The Vienna trio brings together Judith Ferstl, Judith Schwarz and Viola Hammer. Their instrumentation combines double bass and bass synthesizer, drums, and synthesizers. The combination connects their improvisational playing with electronic sound.
The recognition therefore reaches into the territory shared by improvisation and electronic performance. It honours a live project whose sound depends on the interaction of three musicians, rather than separating acoustic instruments from synthesizers. The awards announcement also points to the trio’s 2026 album Proud.
For SCENE:ID, the decision highlights the connections between Vienna’s improvised and electronic music. Recognition for MEL*E gives a national platform to a trio working across those boundaries, with the live encounter between musicians at the centre.