David Helbock & Julia Hofer
Biography David Helbock & Julia Hofer
David Helbock
born 1984 in Vorarlberg, Austria, began playing the piano at the age of six. After several years of piano lessons at the Feldkirch Music School and at the Jazz Seminar Dornbirn, he transferred to the Feldkirch Conservatory in 1998 to study classical piano under the guidance of Prof. Ferenc Bognar, where he graduated with honors in concert piano in 2005. In addition, from 2000 to 2008, David Helbock received lessons from New York jazz pianist Peter Madsen (known for his work with Stan Getz, Joe Lovano, Fred Wesley, and others), who became his teacher, mentor, and friend. They continue to play together in Madsen's ensemble "Collective of Improvising Artists (CIA)" and founded the joint project "Austrian Syndicate" in 2023.
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During this time, David Helbock also received instruction from Fuat Kent (a student of the renowned contemporary composer George Crumb) and developed his distinctive "Inside Piano" playing style.
David Helbock is a prize winner of the world's largest jazz piano solo competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 2007 and 2010, including wining the Audience Award. In 2011, he was awarded the "Outstanding Artist Award," Austria's most prestigious artistic grant.
Throughout his career as a musician, David Helbock has been actively composing. In addition to commissioned compositions for string orchestras, chamber music, choirs, and big bands, he completed a major "yearly composition project," in which he composed a new piece every day for a year. In early 2010, he published the "Personal Realbook," containing more than 600 pages of music. In 2018, he was awarded the Composition State Scholarship by the Austrian federal government.
David Helbock has released more than 25 albums under his own name as a leader, including five on the Berlin-based label Traumton (from 2010 to 2015). Since 2016, he has been an exclusive artist with the renowned German label "ACT-Music," with seven albums released to date. His debut release with ACT-Music, "Into the Mystic" in 2016, was nominated for the German "Echo Jazz" award. In 2018, he released the second album, "Tour d´Horizon" with his trio Random/Control and in 2019, a solo piano album titled "Playing John Williams."
David Helbock has collaborated with internationally renowned jazz musicians, including a trio album with German jazz musicians Sebastian Studnitzky and Arne Jansen in 2021, and a duo album with French star singer Camille Bertault in 2022.
On the quintet album "Austrian Syndicate," (2023) featuring his former teacher Peter Madsen on piano, David Helbock exclusively plays keyboards and synthesizers. Additionally, guest appearances include Dhafer Youssef, Fred Wesley, Lakecia Benjamin, Maria João and Alex Acuña.
In early 2025, a live album with the trio "Random/Control" featuring Fola Dada (German Jazz Prize 2022) as singer was also released. This album was recorded during one of the legendary "Studio Live Sessions" at Little Big Beat Studio in Liechtenstein.
In September 2025, the 7th album on ACT Music is released — this time a duo album with the young Austrian e-bass player & cellist Julia Hofer and Lorenz Raab (flugelhorn), Veronika Harcsa (vocals) & Mahan Mirarab (guitar) as guests.
Hermeto Pascoal, the Brazilian music legend, was so impressed with David Helbock's album "Think of Two"(2014) with the ensemble "Random/Control" that he composed and recorded a piece specifically for the album in Brazil. Furthermore, David Helbock performed as a soloist with Michael Mantler's "Jazz Composer's Orchestra" in 2014, 2016, 2021 & 2023 participating in several album productions for the prestigious ECM label, where he took on the piano part originally performed by Cecil Taylor on Mantler's legendary 1968 recording.
David Helbock's albums have featured over 200 original compositions, performed worldwide.
David Helbock has performed concerts with his own ensembles in countries such as the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Japan, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, Iran, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia, and all throughout Europe.
He has showcased his music at renowned festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival Jakarta, Jarasum Jazz Festival Seoul, Melbourne Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Eurojazz Festival Mexico City, Providencia Jazz Festival Santiago de Chile, all major jazz festivals in Canada (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa), Jazzaldia San Sebastián, Jazzwochen Burghausen, Jazzbaltica, Moers Festival, Jazzfestival Saalfelden (commissioned composition and opening performance in 2013), to name just a few.
Julia Hofer
completed her bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Willi Langer and Gina Schwarz. During her bachelor's studies, she also completed an Erasmus semester at the Cologne University of Music and Dance under Marius Goldhammer and a further master's degree at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg under Frank Itt. Since 2021, she has been a permanent fixture at the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (United Stages Vienna) and has been producing interviews, playing, and lesson videos for the Thomann YouTube channel since 2018. Her interview partners include Marcus Miller, Billy Sheehan, Richard Bona, and Michael League. As a live and studio musician, she has established herself internationally in a wide variety of styles in recent years. Highlights have included the wdr EM Studio Live Band, a band member of Frank Schätzing, Martin Verdonk Mastersessions, Filous, Wenzel Beck, Mike Marshall, and her collaboration with Bootsy Collins.
