Felix Biller is an award-nominated pianist, composer, music educator and music manager. Born in Rosenheim, Bavaria (Germany), he started his musical education at the age of four. Throughout the years he tackled many instruments, such as guitar and saxophone, but the piano always remained his instrument of choice and mastery. His classical training gave him an excellent technique; his eagerness to experiment and think outside the box makes him search for new inspirations and opportunities for artistic development.
Biller is both an involved learner and dedicated teacher. He graduated in musicology from the University of Vienna and in music management from the University for Continuing Education Krems; furthermore, he earned his degree in keyboard instruments (popular music) with a focus on pedagogy at the University of Music and Performing Arts in the Austrian capital Vienna, where he lives. As a passionate educator, he enjoys working with people of different ages and musical backgrounds, which is made possible by his private teaching activities as well as his position as a lecturer in jazz piano at the Jazzseminar (Jazz Department) of the Dornbirn Music School.
Biller is a patient and structured teacher, guiding his students step by step towards their goals. On stage, he reveals a vibrant and charismatic side. He has a keen ear for new ideas and influences – improvisation and experimentation in his lessons can be just as inspiring as delving into the soundscapes of Johann Sebastian Bach. His compositions draw from a wide range of inspiration – from the energy of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio and the roots of the blues, via the versatility of the Beatles and the drama of film music, to the profundity of Abdullah Ibrahim and the melancholic beauty of Nick Drake’s songs. With a sharp sense of balancing intellect and emotion, he masterfully connects diverse musical worlds – making his music a captivating experience.
His main artistic focus is on the trio PRIM, in which he pulls the strings as bandleader, pianist as well as keyboardist and co-composer/arranger. Their current album Meridian Steps garnered widespread critical acclaim, with one reviewer stating that “Biller and his piano really shine on this one” (MainlyPiano, US). The previous record Garnet Tales was also highly praised by the press, with Biller serving as “the driving force behind this trio that is not afraid of adventurous and improvised jazz” (Jazzflits, NL). Among other things, they received an invitation to the Central European Jazz Showcase 2021 in Brno as one of the selected ensembles, were picked several times for the funding program musik aktuell – neue musik in nö of the Musikfabrik NÖ and have already been enthusiastically received in many places.
Moreover, he is the pianist as well as keyboardist and co-arranger of the award-nominated (e.g., Sound@V 2025) group Lari + the Wolves (formerly LaRisa). Their current album MASK has been described as “lyrically, musically and vocally top-notch” (KULTUR, AT). He and his music have appeared on and been featured by radio stations, television and other media formats internationally, including Ö1 (AT), Jazz FM (UK), Radio Wrocław (PL), Radio ARA (LUX), KAN (ISR), WartaJazz (IDN) and JazzonPRX (US). With his composition Demon Crazy? he was a finalist at the Austrian Composers Young Jazz Award 2022.
Another of his passions is realising projects as a music manager. He worked in the management of the workshop and festival NYC Musikmarathon in Mattighofen and as an assistant in the artistic management office of the Wiener Konzerthaus. At Tomek Productions he worked as project and music coordinator as well as assistant to the management on large-scale concert productions including Cinema Sound with the Vienna Symphony – featuring composers such as James Newton Howard and Patrick Doyle, The World of Hans Zimmer and Thomas Bergersen (Two Steps from Hell).
His musical activities, which have taken him, among others, across Europe (Austria, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Serbia, Bosnia, Latvia, Estonia, etc.), to Turkey, the USA and China, also include collaborations with choirs such as the Choir of the Philharmonie Wien, masterclasses and workshops (e.g., Pop-Kultur Nachwuchs Berlin and the Intl. Jazz Platform Footprints Edition Łódź), concerts at both national and international festivals (e.g., Pop-Kultur Festival Berlin, jazzahead! Bremen, Intl. Jazzwoche Burghausen, Bayerisches Jazzweekend Regensburg, Jazz Fest Wiesen, Jazzfestival Steyr, Æquinox Jazz Festival, Nišville Jazz Festival, Lublin Jazz Festival, Intl. Jazz Piano Festival Kalisz, Mladí Ladí Jazz Prague, Poolbar Festival) and in various venues (e.g., Porgy & Bess Vienna, ORF RadioKulturhaus Vienna, Musikverein Vienna, Jazz Dock Prague, Philly Joe’s Tallinn, DDC Beijing and Time Beacon Ningbo), recordings in well-known studios such as the Little Big Beat Studios in Liechtenstein as well as film scoring (e.g., Allesandersplatz by Isis Rampf, which premiered at the achtung berlin Filmfestival including a nomination in the Berlin Spotlights section).
Photo © Johannes Raimann (2025)