Izabella Effenberg - Vibraphonissimo Izabella Effenberg

Sound artist Izabella Effenberg hails from Poland and performs on stages around the globe. She captivates large audiences by creating new tonal worlds using instruments such as the vibraphone, glass harp, waterphone, array mbira, and marimba. Since 2014, this extraordinary multiinstrumentalist has organized the VIBRAPHONISSIMO festival in the Nuremberg metropolitan region. On her new album of the same name, she collaborates in intimate duo and trio settings with outstanding artists from the international jazz and world music scenes—including Bugge Wesseltoft (piano), Jan Lundgren (piano), Nicole Johänntgen (saxophone), Mulo Francel (clarinets), Patrycja Betley (percussion), Lars Danielsson (bass), and Magnus Öström (drums). The result is a series of highly inspired "instrumental small talks," in which the musicians engage in exciting dialogues and improvisations.

Izabella Effenberg on her album: “My focus is on working and performing live with a variety of musicians. These many experiments and encounters allow us to constantly discover new musical possibilities. I am very happy to have the occasional company and support of radio stations in this venture. The VIBRAPHONISSIMO festival has provided a larger platform for this work involving extraordinary instruments and improvised music.”

Izabella Effenberg met Swedish musicians Lars Danielsson and Magnus Öström at the Woman in Jazz festival in Halle and has collaborated with them repeatedly ever since. The Bavarian Broadcasting Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) recorded a joint concert as part of the 2020 Vibraphonissimo Festival, during which the piece "Fuga" was created.

„I think Izabella is kind of a role model for a lot of musicians who want to have gigs. Fixing your own festival is taking a lot of courage and energy to put this kind of thing together. I think we should give her a super big hand.“ says Magnus Öström (drummer and former member of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio E.S.T.)

The 2019 concert with Jan Lundgren at the Jazz Studio Nuremberg was also recorded by BR. The recording includes the pieces "Spanish Ballad," "Cuéntame," "Herr Doktor Doktor," and "Farväl" (Farewell)—a lyrical composition by Izabella’s Swedish duo partner.

"Haiku" was recorded by BR in 2022 at the Fürther Variationen festival at the Kulturforum Fürth. It is a poetic instrumental piece that blends the ethereal vibrations of the waterphone and marimba with the jazz sounds of the alto saxophone, creating an open soundscape that invites meditation. Bern-based saxophonist Nicole Johänntgen and Izabella Effenberg share a long-standing friendship; they met through Nicole’s project "Sisters in Jazz," of which Izabella has since become an integral part. Together, they organize "Sisters in Jazz" concerts featuring varying line-ups and continuously develop the project.

The tracks featuring the exceptional Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft—"Dialogue," Whispering Glass," and "In Memory of Susan"—were recorded on May 15 and 16, 2025, at the NDR Rolf-Liebermann-Studio Hamburg. Izabella recounts the experience: "I met Bugge at the JazzBaltica festival. He attended my concert and seemed intrigued by my music and the instruments I use; he actually owns a collection of unusual instruments himself. The pieces featuring him evolved during the performance. We only jotted down basic ideas; everything else emerged live and spontaneously on stage."

“Siren’s Song” was recorded as a solo improvisation on the glass harp in Miltenberg in November 2025 for Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR).

The songs "It’s a Dream," "Moon Pulse," and "Glass Blues" were recorded in February 2026, following a joint concert at the Vibraphonissimo Festival. Here, Izabella collaborates with Warsaw-based percussionist Patrycja Betley and Mulo Francel (on clarinet, contra-bass clarinet, and soprano saxophone). Mulo Francel frequently invites Izabella Effenberg to perform as a guest soloist with his ensemble, Quadro Nuevo, and in shows with astrophysicist Harald Lesch; he also served as the producer of the current album.

The Polish jazz journalist Dionizy Piątkowski writes:"Izabella Effenberg loves to enchant with sound: she is a master of playing rare percussion instruments from around the world, but she is also an experimenter, seeking new sounds and murmurs. This is how entirely new tonal landscapes are created, offering a magical, unforgettable musical journey.”