Projects
Whether performing as a soloist, leading her orchestra, working with jazz ensembles, or engaging in crossover projects – each of her endeavors makes a distinct mark on contemporary music.
Piano Solo
Maria Baptist is one of the leading solo pianists in contemporary jazz. Praised as “masterful” and “virtuosic”, she crafts her solo performances as a seamless, dramaturgically refined process in which composition and improvisation flow effortlessly together. Each concert becomes a unique and continuously evolving soundscape.
Press
“A breathtaking piece of high emotion and world-class refinement” – All About Jazz
“Masterfully between jazz and classical music” – Bremen Zwei
“Enthusiastic Elbphilharmonie: The audience celebrates the virtuoso pianist” – Hamburger Abendblatt
“Virtuoso, powerful, sophisticated, full of polyphonic surprises and exuberant poetry” – hr2-Kultur
“Independent, full of character and ideas” – Deutschland Funk Kultur
“A magnificent album” – Kultkomplott
“Maria Baptists rhapsodic, free-flowing piano style evokes Bill Evans & Keith Jarrett” – Downbeat
Orchestra
The Maria Baptist Orchestra is shaping new directions in the orchestral landscape for 10 years and is recognized as a pioneer of symphonic jazz. With the premiere of “Jazz Symphony No. 1”, it transcends the boundaries between classical orchestration and large-scale jazz composition. The orchestra’s debut album, “Here & Now”, was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award, underscoring its significance in contemporary jazz.
Line-Up
5 Reeds, 4 Trumpets, 4 Trompones, Rhythm Section
Jonas Schoen, Jan von Klewitz, Paulo Cedraz, Nils Feldmann, Patrick Hamacher, Nik Leistle, Philip Sindy, Fabian Engwicht, Ruben Giannotti, Alexander Gibson, Will Pethick, Julius Hopf, Geoffroy de Masure, Laszlo Griese, Christopher Sauloff, Fabian Timm, Johannes Schauer, Heinz Lichius, Stephan Genze, Henry Hahnfeldt
Press
“Maria Baptists compositions are in a league with key figures of modern big band jazz such as Schneider, Gruntz, McNeely and Bley.” – All About Jazz
“Maria Baptist’s music stands for itself.” – Downbeat
“The Maria Baptist Orchestra proves how permeable the line between jazz and classical music can be.” – Morgenpost
“Baptist’s musical instincts, harmonic intelligence and compositional imagination combine and expand the classical-jazz tendencies of Maria Schneider.” – Downbeat
“The Maria Baptist Orchestra plays in the 1st league of jazz.” – jazz-fun
Ensembles & Crossover
Maria Baptist creates projects in which classical form and improvisational freedom converge — in the chamber-like intimacy of her jazz ensembles or in genre-crossing compositions for string quartets and symphony orchestras.
Her works transcend stylistic categories and open new perspectives for contemporary music at the intersection of jazz and classical traditions. The resulting soundscapes are both structurally refined and open to the moment.
Jazz Ensembles: Duo, Trio, Quartet, Quintet:
Rhythm Section, Alto-Saxophone, Tenor-Saxophone/Bass Clarinet
Fabian Timm, Heinz Lichius, Jan von Klewitz, Richard Maegraith
Crossover Projects: Piano & String Quartet, Trio & Symphony Orchestra, Piano & Symphony Orchestra, Big Band & Symphony Orchestra
Press
“Maria Baptist succeeds in bridging the gap between jazz and chamber music.” – rbb
“A sound like an orchestra.” – All About Jazz
“Echoes of classical music.” – Crescendo
Piano Concerto No. 1 in 4 Movements for Piano and Symphony Orchestra
Biography
Let’s stay in touch –
Inner Circle
Once a month, I write a letter.
It’s about music and what it sets in motion. About moments on stage and at the piano. About silence, structure, freedom.
If you’d like to be part of it, you can sign up here.
Please note: The newsletter is in German.
Yours Maria
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