JELENA POPRŽAN (AT/SRB)

Well, connoisseurs of the Austrian world music and jazz scene don’t really need to be introduced to ...

Well, connoisseurs of the Austrian world music and jazz scene don’t really need to be introduced to Jelena Popržan anymore. The musician who comes from Serbia and has lived in Vienna for many years, was part of the successful duo Catch-Pop String-Strong, is a member of the no less successful band Madame Baheux. Her most recent project: Jelena Popržan Quartett.

What distinguishes the charismatic violist and vocalist and what she is known for is her immense musical openness paired with a good portion of artistic individuality and joy of experimentation. There are probably only a few female musicians to which the sentence “She does what she wants” applies as much as it does to her. And this also shows on “La Folia”, her solo debut, in a truly breathtaking way.

(Michael Ternai, mica, February 2020, translation: Julian Schönfeld)

Awards / Nominations

  • 2021 – 1st Niederstätter surPrize 2021 | 19th European Competition of Various Art Theater, Theater Carambolage, Bozlano/Bozen/IT
  • 2020 – Vojin Draškoci Award by World music asocijacija Srbije | "This award celebrates the artists who transfer traditional music to 21st century in their own, original way."
  • 2020 – nomination: NESTROY prize for the best OFF Production | for the play “Das große Heft” (worked as composer, musician & actor)

see more > here

REVIEWS

"An album on which the gates to musical diversity are being opened wide: the violist and singer JELENA POPRŽAN shows on her solo debut “La Folia” (Lotus Records) in a stirring way what kind of extraordinary things can come about once one breaks away from all classical musical concepts."
– Music Export Austria (2020)

"... Jelena sounds cooler than a cucumber to us!
Check out this seriously talented musician who will blow your mind with her viola ...
... she brings a Rock ‘n’ Roll aesthetic to what some see as a bloated violin ..."
– Wurstelstand (AT 2020)

"thunder strike" ... " The music that happened came out of heaven." ... "bold, confident, rehearsed in detail and identified with the performance she designed, Jelena Popržan performed. Interpretations of her compositions written for the theater, those from the latest album, as well as various others, are among the highest quality string plays that the author of the text has had the opportunity to hear."
– World Music Asocijacija Srbije (RS 2021)

“With her sovereignty, virtuosity and both musical and narrative wit, she certainly convinced a skeptical visitor after listening to the album, but she succeeded in something that is actually becoming rarer, although we don't know if it's the changing audience, musicians or perhaps the formats of concerts or venues. With an extremely sovereign, just right taste of performance and a completely unpretentious stage presence, she managed to put the audience in a state of extreme attention, in which we could use the expression: we ate with the palm of our hand.”
– Radio Student, Ljubljana/Slo (2021)

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Jelena Popržan - 5-saitige Viola, Gesang, Looper, Maulgeige, Glasharmonika

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JELENA POPRŽAN © Maria Frodl
© Maria Frodl