Alen Pavlić studies saxophone pedagogy in the mdw’s bachelor’s programme in the ipop – Department of Popular Music. Together with mdw student Felix Loidl, he took part this summer in the International Big Band Workshop in Mongolia. This workshop was held for the fourth time, organised by the German musician and teacher Martin Zenker, who has played an important role in establishing the jazz scene and promoting jazz education in the Ulan Bator, the Mongolian capital. The goal of the workshop is not only continuing musical education but also cultural exchange and the experience of making music together with international participants. Students from Germany, South Korea, South Africa, Mongolia, and the two mdw students spent a week at Yeruu Lodge, in northern Mongolia, to rehearse together. This was followed by a week with six concerts at the renowned Fat Cat Jazz Club in Ulan Bator.

At Yeruu Lodge, the workshop participants were put up in “gers”—Mongolian yurts. This area attracts tourists because of its pristine natural surroundings. Alen was also impressed, as he says, “We landed in Ulan Bator and then travelled north for five hours by bus. There is nothing there but nature. One doesn’t see this often.” Cows, sheep, and especially horses run around freely, which also means visits by animals to the lodge. “We were sitting outside drinking tea one time, and some horses came across the river. It was a very special atmosphere there,” recalls Alen. “It was cold in the yurts at night and we slept in our jackets, but overall, it was amazing.” During the day, the students rehearsed with the teachers Claus Raible and Martin Zenker, both from Munich’s Hochschule für Musik und Theater, and in the evenings, the students gave jam sessions at the lodge’s restaurant for tourists.

The ten workshop participants were between eighteen and twenty-nine years old. They bonded not only through rehearsing and performing in the ad hoc big band, but also through group activities such as hiking, swimming, kayaking, and playing frisbee. Participating in the workshop helped the students build up networks: “When I need a contact in Munich, Hamburg, or South Africa, for example, I now have someone I can call,” says Alen. On of the Mongolian singers also began studying at the mdw this semester.

The successful rehearsal week was followed by the concert series at the Fat Cat Jazz Club. “There was a good crowd there every night—tourists and locals alike,” says Alen. “It’s good to see that Mongolians as well as people from abroad are so enthusiastic about the jazz scene in Ulan Bator.”

Another highlight for the young musicians in the capital was attending a traditional Mongolian concert, where various acts with traditional instruments, singing, and dancing demonstrated the impressive range of Mongolian music and culture.

Alen is open to further exciting projects abroad and appreciates the many opportunities available for this at the mdw. Among other things, he took part in a jazz workshop in Parma two years ago. “There are tremendous opportunities to play in special clubs and concert houses. I think it’s wonderful that the university makes this possible for the students,” says Alen. The saxophonist, who is from Croatia, visited the mdw for the first time when he was still in school, he says: “I had heard that you can study both classical music and jazz here, and I liked that.” In 2018, he began studying saxophone performance and completed a master’s degree. For the past two years, he has been studying in the ipop – Department of Popular Music.

The trip to Mongolia is long—Alen estimates that it took a total of thirty-four hours to travel from Vienna to northern Mongolia—but “with enough warm clothing for the nights, I would recommend it to anyone. This is something you won’t often experience,” says the mdw student.

Text: Isabella Gaisbauer