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Carte Blanche: Tillmann Ostendarp

Brigitta Grimm03-27-20263 min. read

Tillmann Ostendarp is one of the six artists who have received a Carte Blanche from Moods for the 25/26 season. The Carte Blanche is awarded to outstanding musicians from the Zurich jazz scene and offers them the opportunity to further develop their current musical work and try out new things. For his second Carte Blanche evening, Tillmann Ostendarp is bringing an exceptional large formation to the stage. Here you will find out where his flair for big bands comes from and what we can expect on this upcoming Thursday.

Tillmann Ostendarp is a musical jack-of-all-trades. Originally, he studied jazz trombone in Lucerne, but today he moves effortlessly between electronic club music, indie pop, and large-scale ensemble projects. As DJ Real Madrid, he can be found at turntables and synthesizers; as a sideman with Faber, Kalabrese, or Domi Chansorn; as a producer in the music of Gina Été; or as one half of the duo Skiclub Toggenburg. And somewhere in between, there is always the question: What would happen if as many exciting musicians as possible came together?The musical path Tillmann Ostendarp has taken was probably inevitable. His mother is a choir director, and his father, Hermann Ostendarp, is the former conductor of the leading youth orchestra Il Mosaico. He now directs the Ensemble 25, which performed last year with, among others, Nik Bärtsch and Erik Truffaz.It wasn’t long before Tillmann Ostendarp himself was playing in the multi-award-winning big band of the Kantonsschule Wattwil, and even as a teenager he was arranging pieces for his nine-piece band with four horns. Later came his 18-piece Pirmin Baumgartner Orchestra (with seven horns!), for which he not only composed but also sang and played drums.
"But I thought to myself: this could work with even more people," Tillmann Ostendarp recalls. And that’s how the Alle Sterne Orchestra came into being, at times growing to more than 30 members. The concept: the brightest stars of the Swiss indie scene come together under Tillmann Ostendarp’s direction for two days of rehearsals and perform a concert on the third day. The next edition will hopefully take place again very soon.During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a drums-only version of Alle Sterne. The concert was streamed live from Moods and can be watched here:
Tillmann Ostendarp's Carte Blanche
This passion for large-scale projects also shapes his Carte Blanche evenings. He also considers the venue as an integral part of the concept. And what fits better at Moods than a jam session and a big band?Tillmanns toller Jam im Moods
Thursday, 12 February 2026, 20:30
This evening is etched into my memory. In a jam session hosted by Tillmann, numerous musicians such as Matthias Tschopp, Dino Brandão, Evelinn Trouble, Max Kämmerling, and Tizia Zimmermann came together – with an intensity that’s hard to imagine.Tillmanns grosse Band
Thursday, 2 April 2026, 20:30
Less spontaneous, but even more ambitious. This coming Thursday, he turns his attention to the large ensemble – though he deliberately avoids calling it a big band. Why? "It should sound different. I want to do something other than the classic big band sound – both in terms of timbre and execution", he explains. That’s also why he specifically invited musicians who don’t come from that tradition, but are more at home in improvisation. He found 15 fellow musicians, including well-known Moods regulars such as Arthur Hnatek, Louise Knobil, and Florian Weiss. The selection followed less of a fixed concept and more his intuition: familiar faces, but also new encounters – musicians he had long wanted to collaborate with.The compositions he is writing for the evening are, in turn, intended more as a starting point. "I don’t have a clear idea of what it will sound like in the end", says Tillmann Ostendarp. Much will only take shape during rehearsals, through experimentation and reacting to one another. "I think it will lean more towards minimal music." It’s less about harmony in the classical sense and more about texture, groove, and dynamics. The lineup with two drummers and the hint that electronic modulation will also play a role gives plenty of reason for anticipation.In the end, this evening is above all an invitation to listen with curiosity. Those who come should be ready for "many beautiful sounds", as Ostendarp puts it. What it will ultimately sound like remains to be discovered.
Tillmann Ostendarp always surprises.

Tillmann Ostendarp's Carte Blanche

  • Carte Blanche

    Till Ostendarp

    • Tillmanns toller Jam im Moods

      JazzJazz Modern CreativePop / Rock / Singer / SongwriterModern Creative JazzElectronic JazzPopRockIndie
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  • Carte Blanche

    Till Ostendarp

    • Tillmanns Grosse Band

      JazzJazz Modern CreativeContemporary JazzBig Band JazzModern Creative Jazz
    More