International Archives For The Jazz Organ (IAJO) - The Jazz Organ Scene Germany

Marion Wörle

Marion is a Berlin-based computer musician, composer, graphic designer, curator, and cultural organizer whose work occupies a unique position at the intersection of contemporary music, technology, architecture, and performance. Trained originally as an architect, she received a diploma in architecture before gradually turning her focus toward experimental music and interdisciplinary artistic practice.

Over the past two decades, Marion has developed a distinctive artistic language that combines electronic sound, algorithmic processes, acoustic instruments, machine systems, and theatrical forms. Her compositions and sound works have been created for film, music theatre, radio drama, multimedia installations, and concert performance. A recurring theme throughout her work is the critical examination of technology and its impact on human experience, society, and artistic expression.

In 2011 she co-founded the Berlin-based ensemble gamut inc together with Polish composer and guitarist Maciej Śledziecki. Emerging from their shared interest in the meeting point of instrumental and computer music, the ensemble quickly gained international recognition for its pioneering work with self-developed computer-controlled musical instruments and automated acoustic sound machines. Their artistic approach combines historical models of sound production with contemporary digital technologies, creating what has often been described as a retro-futuristic musical aesthetic.

Under Marion's co-direction, gamut inc has become one of Europe's most innovative ensembles in the field of machine music and experimental music theatre. Since its founding, the group has designed and built a growing family of automated instruments, including computer-controlled carillons, physharmonicas, monochords, electromagnetic string instruments, and robotic percussion devices. These instruments are not merely technical curiosities but form the basis of a distinctive compositional practice in which mechanical systems, performers, and software interact in real time.

A central aspect of Marion's artistic work has been the exploration of the relationship between humans and machines. Through a series of large-scale music theatre productions, installations, and concert works, she has examined questions of automation, digital culture, artificial agency, and technological transformation. These themes culminated in gamut inc's acclaimed human-machine music theatre trilogy, including productions such as R.U.R. and ZEROTH LAW, created in collaboration with the RIAS Chamber Choir, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the robotic orchestra of the LOGOS Foundation.

Among Marion's most influential contributions has been her pioneering work with automated pipe organs. Together with Śledziecki, she discovered the creative potential of computer-controlled organs and began developing new forms of composition specifically for these instruments. This research led to the creation of the international project AGGREGATE, which since 2018 has explored automated organs in churches, concert halls, and historical venues around the world. Through performances, commissions, installations, and festivals, AGGREGATE has helped establish a new international discourse surrounding the "hyper-organ" and the future of computer-controlled organ performance.

Under Marion's artistic leadership, AGGREGATE has developed into one of the most significant contemporary platforms dedicated to organ innovation. The annual Berlin festival presents artists from experimental music, electronic music, sound art, and contemporary composition, bringing them into dialogue with automated pipe organs. Her work in this field has contributed significantly to expanding the organ's role beyond traditional liturgical and classical contexts and has attracted international attention from organists, composers, and music researchers alike.

Beyond her activities as a composer and performer, Marion has played an important role as a cultural organizer and curator. She is a founder and board member of the artist initiative ZAM – Platform for Adventurous Music, which fosters collaboration across different musical communities and artistic disciplines. She has also served as artistic director and curator of several internationally recognized festivals, including WIR SIND DIE ROBOTER and AVANT AVANTGARDE, both of which investigate alternative histories and futures of music, technology, and sound experimentation. Since 2009 she has also co-managed the independent music label satelita.

Marion's projects have been presented at major international festivals and institutions, including Sónar, CTM Festival, Acht Brücken, Orgelpark Amsterdam, and numerous venues across Europe, North America, and Asia. In 2022 she and Śledziecki were artists-in-residence at the Goethe-Institut Villa Kamogawa, where they conducted research into Japan's organ culture and developed new works.

Today Marion is widely regarded as one of the leading figures in the international field of computer-controlled instrumental music and automated organ performance. Through her compositions, inventions, curatorial initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaborations, she has helped redefine the relationship between musical tradition and technological innovation, creating new artistic possibilities for both contemporary music and the pipe organ in the twenty-first century.

International Archives for the Jazz Organ – curated by Jürgen Wolf, Köln/Germany.

contact:	gamut@gamutinc.org
homepage:	www.gamutinc.org
	Click on the logo to see Marion's tour dates.

You can watch the video on the YouTube site by clicking on the corresponding picture. For more videos search YouTube

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