The stipend may be used to pay for music courses and private lessons, as well as to meet and play with other musicians. Bolla will have to summarize his experiences in a report.
Bolla was recognised at a ceremony and concert at the Porgy and Bess Club in Vienna on December 1. At the concert, Bolla played in a trio with bassist Matthias Pichler, who was awarded the Best Sideman prize, and the drummer Bernd Reiter, who also won a stipend to study in New York.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Mathias Rüegg, the chairman of the Austrian Music Office and the founder and head of the Vienna Art Orchestra.
Rüegg discovered Bolla when he played in a jam session at the Porgy and Bess Club. He invited Bolla to appear as a guest soloist with the Vienna Art Orchestra at a concert in Budapest, and he asked Bolla to play as well at the 2004 Hans Koller Prize award ceremony.
The Hans Koller Prize, named after the legendary Austrian saxophonist, is awarded in several categories. This year?s Musician of the Year went to drummer Alex Deutsch. Newcomer of the Year went to the ensemble Jazz Werkstatt. CD of the Year went to a recording by trombonist Robert Bachner. And the European Jazz Prize was presented to Bobo Stenson. Stenson and his trio also played at the concert in the Porgy and Bess Club.
The 23-member jury for the awards included a Hungarian, György Wallner, from the Budapest Music Center.
Source: Fidelio.hu
