Album Die Kunst dem Fuge out now!

Order now – via mail to info@chezfria.com

Vinyl: 27€
Postcard with Downloadcode: 12€

Album Die Kunst dem Fuge out now!

Order now – via mail to info@chezfria.com

Vinyl: 27€
Postcard with Downloadcode: 12€

Five artists from diverse musical backgrounds come together in search of common ground. The art of playing this fugue, daring to explore transitions, intersections, and juxtapositions of musical worlds, and creating artistic identity through a broad stylistic spectrum – this is Die Kunst dem Fuge.
With recorder, trumpet, synthesizer, and drums. With J.S. Bach, A. Webern, W.A. Mozart, jazz, funk, and trap. With ingenuity, virtuosity, humor, and passion. Die Kunst dem Fuge demonstrates that plurality is a breeding ground for innovation.
… “Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘The Art of Fugue’ has inspired many musicians of our time. In the version by Chez Fría, the D minor motif and its contrapuntal development remain faithful to the original for a long time before the Salzburg-based band takes a turn into the club: synth effects and heavy hip-hop beats open up an entirely new sound world. The title ‘Die Kunst dem Fuge’ is neither a linguistic joke nor a grammatical error – it’s a statement.” …

– Florian Oberhummer, Salzburger Nachrichten

[…] “Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘The Art of Fugue’ has inspired many musicians of our time. In the version by Chez Fría, the D minor motif and its contrapuntal development remain faithful to the original for a long time before the Salzburg-based band takes a turn into the club: synth effects and heavy hip-hop beats open up an entirely new sound world. The title ‘Die Kunst dem Fuge’ is neither a linguistic joke nor a grammatical error – it’s a statement.” […]

Florian Oberhummer, Salzburger Nachrichten

Chez Fría mit Hubert von Goisern

„[…] the young band Chez Fría overturns all expectations of classical musicians and conventions. Their innovative and unconventional approach to reinterpreting very old music captivates not only through an unexpected sonic experience but also through the highest level of technical perfection.“

– Jury Statement, Hubert von Goisern Cultural Award

Chez Fría mit Hubert von Goisern

„[…] the young band Chez Fría overturns all expectations of classical musicians and conventions. Their innovative and unconventional approach to reinterpreting very old music captivates not only through an unexpected sonic experience but also through the highest level of technical perfection.“

– Jurystatement Hubert von Goisern Kulturpreis

Music Videos

Short Bio

The members of the ensemble Chez Fría met at the Musisches Gymnasium Salzburg and, even at a young age, caused a sensation as soloists and in various ensembles. Currently, the five musicians are studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, the Mozarteum Salzburg, and the CNSMD Lyon.

Commissioned by the Musikfestspiele Sanssouci, the ensemble came together to develop a new musical concept. After their spectacular debut in Potsdam, Chez Fría went on to perform at the Take the A-Train Music Festival, Festival Mittelyoung in Cividale del Friuli, Festival Carinthischer Sommer in Villach, Jazzit Salzburg, Mozarteum Salzburg, Bruckner University Linz, and Jazzclub Zwe Vienna, among others.

The ensemble received the prestigious Hubert von Goisern Cultural Award for their work. In 2021/22, Chez Fría released two professional music videos, produced in collaboration with Doppelkopf Studio and supported by Kunsthilfe Salzburg. Their debut album, Die Kunst dem Fuge, followed in 2025.

A special collaboration connects the musicians with the Vienna-based fashion design duo Combinege, who create custom outfits tailored to match their program.

From Hildegard von Bingen to Johann Sebastian Bach, twelve-tone music, and all the way to electro, funk, and jazz – Chez Fría transcends genre boundaries and dares to fuse the most diverse musical styles. In search of sounds, harmonies, and rhythms, they explore centuries of music and interpret them with a contemporary pulse.

With synthesizer, percussion, trumpet, and recorder – playfully yet always with unwavering dedication to the music.

Chez Fría Live!

Bookings

We welcome inquiries and feedback!

Who we are…

Lorenz WidauerFelix Elias GutschiFerdinand RauchmannMaximilian RehrlPaul Widauer

Lorenz Widauer is currently studying jazz trumpet with Lars Seniuk in Vienna. Before fully dedicating himself to jazz, he completed classical trumpet studies with Andreas Lackner in Innsbruck and Johann Plankat the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MdW). In 2022, he spent a semester abroad at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam as part of an Erasmus scholarship. He is currently a member of the Focus Year Band in Basel.

Widauer has won multiple awards at national and international competitions and has performed as a soloist on both piano and trumpet at Musikverein Vienna and the Salzburg Festival Hall. From 2020 to 2024, he was a member of Ensemble 021, which has provided the stage music for the famous theater drama Jedermann at Salzburg Festival’s Domplatz for several years.

Additionally, he has performed with and under the direction of renowned musicians such as Michael Abene, Joe Gallardo, Frank Delle, Miho Hazama, Robert Landfermann, Jonas Burgwinkel, Gileno Santana, Nils Landgren, Allen Vizzutti, David Helbock, and Christian Muthspiel.

Felix Elias Gutschi was admitted to the Leopold Mozart Institute at the Mozarteum Salzburg in 2011, where he studied with Dorothee Oberlinger, Andrea Guttmann, and Matthijs Lunenburg. In 2018, he began his Bachelor’s degree at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with Walter van Hauwe, and from 2019 to 2022, he continued his studies with Dorothee Oberlinger. In 2021, he received lessons from Pierre Hamon at the Conservatoire de Lyonthrough an Erasmus scholarship. In 2022, he studied with Antonio Politano at the Conservatorio Luca Marenzio in Brescia, focusing on contemporary music, and since 2023, he has been pursuing his Master’s degree in recorder at the CNSMD Lyon with Tiago Simas Freire.

Additional masterclasses with Giovanni Antonini, Kees Boeke, Han Tol, Pedro Memelsdorff, Maurice Steger, and Michael Form have provided him with further artistic inspiration. Since 2019, he has also been studying music theory at the Mozarteum Salzburg.

Gutschi has won numerous recorder and early music competitions, including a prize at the J.H. Schmelzer Competition 2024. As a soloist, he has performed at the Verbier Festival, the “Resonanzen” Festival at the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, and the Tel Aviv Recorder Festival. As an orchestral musician, he has appeared with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble “La Divina Armonia,” and the Munich Chamber Orchestra at the Bavarian State Opera.

Ferdinand Rauchmann was admitted to the University Mozarteum Salzburg as a Pre-College student at the age of twelve, where he studied classical piano with Hiroko Miki and Johannes Wilhelm. During his studies, he discovered his passion for jazz and began performing in various ensembles at an early age.

In 2018, he moved to Vienna to study jazz piano with Aaron Wonesch at the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna. Since 2019, he has been pursuing a Tonmeister (sound engineering) degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, specializing in music production and radio. Rauchmann has contributed multiple times to the renowned „Musikviertelstunde“ on the Austrian radio station Ö1.

As a sound designer and producer, he creates electronic music using synthesis and effects processing both on stage and in the studio. He is part of numerous bands and ensembles, covering a wide range of styles from jazz, funk, and neo-soul to pop, indie, and electronic music. His creative work has been recognized in various competitions.

Maximilian Rehrl received his first trumpet lessons from Hannes Moritz, Erich Rinner, and Harald Rehrl. As a child and teenager, he composed for various ensembles – ranging from solo pieces to orchestral works. Later, Rehrl joined the composition class of Ludwig Nussbichler and received numerous awards as both a trumpeter and composer.

Between 2014 and 2020, he studied classical trumpet at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with Gottfried Menthand at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Thomas Lachtner. During his studies, Rehrl increasingly focused on the jazz field, receiving jazz trumpet lessons from Horst-Michael Schaffer, among others.

In addition to the trumpet, Rehrl taught himself various other instruments, such as electric bass and piano, and performs with several bands and ensembles. Furthermore, Rehrl has been responsible for the production, technical work, and mixing of various recordings at the family-owned „Tonstudio Rehrl – Bingosound“ for many years.

.

Widauer began playing the saxophone at the age of nine and was taught by Robert Friedl and Kurt Gersdorf, among others. At twelve, he experimented with drums for the first time.

As a child and teenager, Widauer gained recognition with the trio „The Brass Bros“, performing at events such as the National Prize for Literature ceremony, the René Marcic Prize, the European Newspaper Award in Vienna, the Salzburg Festival Opening, and Winterfest Salzburg 2014 alongside Karl Merkatz.

Since October 2016, he has been studying IGP Popular Music with a focus on saxophone at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MdW) under Martin Fuss. Widauer is a co-founder of the band „Mashed Peas“, with which he has performed at renowned venues such as Jazz Club Unterfahrt in Munich and at major festivals, including as the opening act for „Robert Glasper Experiment“ at the A to Jazz Festival in Sofia.

On the band’s album Slightly Different (2019), Widauer also made his mark as a composer. As a musician, he is active on both drums and saxophone in multiple ensembles and participates in numerous concerts and events in Austria and abroad.

Galery

Newsletter

… stay tuned!