mdw in Brazil: Markus Geiselhart and David Panzl

In April 2026, trombonist, composer, and conductor Markus Geiselhart, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Popular Music at the mdw and drummer and conductor David Panzl, Senior Lecturer at the Leonard Bernstein Department for Wind and Percussion Instruments at the mdw, travelled to Brazil for a ten-day artistic and pedagogical exchange. The trip combined concerts, workshops, masterclasses, and artistic research activities in São Paulo and Salvador da Bahia, while also contributing to the international cooperation between the mdw and Brazilian partner institutions.
 

The first part of the stay in São Paulo focused strongly on artistic research within the context of a professional jazz orchestra. Markus Geiselhart was invited by the Brasil Jazz Sinfônica Big Band to conduct a concert programme featuring his own compositions as guest conductor. For this project, he invited David Panzl as guest soloist on drums. The Brasil Jazz Sinfônica is considered one of Brazil’s leading professional jazz orchestras and can most closely be compared to the German radio big bands. In its full formation, it includes not only the big band itself but also a string orchestra, making it comparable in some ways to the Dutch Metropole Orkest.

The big band had already prepared the repertoire in advance under the direction of its principal conductor, Gustavo Petri. During the two days of rehearsals together, the focus was on the artistic refinement of the music in direct collaboration with the ensemble: particularly on interpretation, sound, balance, and the practical further development of the compositional structures within the rehearsal process. The rehearsal process itself thereby became a form of practice-based artistic research within the setting of a professional jazz orchestra.

The concert The Music of Markus Geiselhart, held on 11 April 2026 at Blue Note São Paulo, presented a selection of works from different creative periods. The programme included compositions from the album My Instrument is the Orchestra (2016), from the Wiener Neustädter Kanal Suite (2021), and from the Beethoven programme composed in the context of the Beethoven Year 2020. The works combine European musical traditions with a contemporary big-band aesthetic. Markus Geiselhart conducted the Brasil Jazz Sinfônica Big Band, while David Panzl appeared as guest soloist on drums and percussion. The concert was also streamed via the YouTube channel of Blue Note São Paulo, thereby reaching an international audience. The response from both the audience and the participating musicians was extremely positive and has already led to discussions about future joint projects and further collaborations with the Brasil Jazz Sinfônica.

In addition, Geiselhart and Panzl led a workshop at the Souza Lima Conservatory upon invitation by its director, Brazilian guitarist Lupa Santiago. The workshop focused on ensemble playing, improvisation, timing, rhythmic awareness, and the development of a shared musical language in jazz.

The second part of the journey led to Salvador da Bahia and formed the pedagogical focus of the trip within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme. At the Escola de Música da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Geiselhart and Panzl gave workshops, masterclasses, and individual lessons. The activities were organised by Brazilian composer Alfredo Moura and flutist João Liberato, both faculty members at the university.

Alongside the individual lessons, Geiselhart and Panzl also jointly led an ensemble workshop focusing on interaction, communication, listening, and collective improvisation, with particular emphasis on musical decision-making processes in real-time performance situations.
 

Throughout the week, Geiselhart offered a masterclass for the students of Alciomar Oliveira’s trombone class, as well as workshops on composition, improvisation, arranging techniques, and European big-band and jazz history, while Panzl concentrated on rhythm, drum set practice, and ensemble work. A central aspect of the workshops was the relationship between composition and improvisation, as well as the transfer and transformation of concepts of the Second Viennese School into contemporary jazz language.

Further artistic research took place through engagement with Brazilian musical traditions. Geiselhart and Panzl participated in a percussion class led by Iuri Passos and gained insights into Brazilian rhythmic structures and ensemble practice. In addition, they attended a capoeira and percussion workshop led by João Carlos do Nascimento, focusing on Afro-Brazilian rhythmic traditions and instruments such as the berimbau and pandeiro.

At the same time, the stay provided numerous opportunities for sustainable international exchange and networking with Brazilian musicians and institutions.

The project demonstrates how closely artistic practice, teaching, and artistic research can be interconnected in an international context. Through the combination of concert activity, rehearsal work, pedagogical formats, and intercultural exchange, a working process emerged in which artistic production, reflection, and research became directly intertwined. The journey thus also became an example of how artistic work at the mdw can operate effectively within an international context.

Photo credits: Markus Geiselhart, David Panzl