Sophie Hassfurther

A compelling and adventurous voice in contemporary European jazz and improvised music, Austrian saxophonist Sophie Hassfurther blends deep compositional insight with fearless improvisation. Born near Salzburg in 1979, Hassfurther studied saxophone and flute at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Sh further expanded her artistic horizons through her involvement in New York’s vibrant music scene. 

Hassfurther’s work is characterised by its wide stylistic reach, bridging jazz, contemporary classical sensibilities, and free improvisation. As a bandleader and composer, she has developed a rich body of original music, from her early ensemble projects to recent large-scale works that situate improvised interplay alongside structured compositional frameworks. Her music has been featured at major festivals and venues across Europe and beyond, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Wien Modern, and Moers Festival. 

As a collaborator, Hassfurther has performed with an international array of artists, from Peter Herbert and Wolfgang Reisinger to Bart Maris, Frank Gratkowski, Sofia Borges, and Sean Bergin. She is also known for her long-standing duo with bass clarinetist Oğuz Büyükberber. Their critically acclaimed recording Mind Like Water explores the fertile boundaries between composed material and real-time creation. 

Hassfurther’s compositions have garnered multiple fellowships and commissions from the Austrian Federal Chancellery and the City of Vienna, and several premieres at internationally recognized contemporary music festivals. Beyond performance, she contributes to the next generation of musicians as a teacher of saxophone, flute, and clarinet and through workshops in jazz and improvisation. 

Rooted in jazz yet consistently genre-defying, Sophie Hassfurther’s music is marked by rigorous craft, expressive nuance, and an unflinching commitment to sound exploration, establishing her as one of Austria’s most inventive creative voices on the global jazz stage.

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