SOPHIA GÖKEN
ABOUT
Sophia Göken (*2000) is a German composer, vocalist, pianist, and bandleader currently based in Basel, Switzerland. She began her music studies in 2019 at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover (HMTMH), Germany, with jazz vocals as her main subject. Over the years, she discovered her deep passion for composition and arrangement, particularly for large ensembles. Alongside her studies, she has consistently led her own projects, most notably the electronic jazz trio VYLLA and her 17-piece Sophia Göken Large Ensemble. After completing her Bachelor's degree, she moved to Basel in 2025 to pursue a Master in Jazz Composition at the renowned Jazzcampus. In addition to her own ensembles, Sophia is active as a pianist and synthesizer player in various formations, including Switchermachine, Amigo Altmark, and Joy Bogat. In 2026 she got nominated for the Deutscher Jazzpreis in the category Best Composition/Arrangement of the Year with her piece For Alice.
Alongside her music studies in Hannover, Sophia co-founded a FLINTA* collective dedicated to organizing art exhibitions, their own festival called CYAN SESSIONS, and events that raise awareness about feminism and gender equality in the music scene. Her artistic work is closely interwoven with political themes – both personal and societal.
Sophias music can be raw and loud, but also tender and wrapped in velvet — never losing its sense of hope.
Tours and concerts have taken her to different places:
Jazzwoche Hannover w/ Sophia Göken Large Ensemble
HIDDEN Session feat. ADAM NEELY & LAU NOAH - MD + Arranging of Nessun Dorma
VYLLA x Puma Blue (UK) at UK Sessions @Pavillon (H)
Fusion Festival (Lärz) w/ VYLLA & Switchermachine
Jazzwoche Hannover w/ Sophia Göken Large Ensemble
HIDDEN Live Sessions w/ Fatoni, Antje Schomaker & Enno Bunger @Magic Mile Studio
UK Tour VYLLA x BOOMCH (2025)
Jazz Open Stuttgart w/ VYLLA
various tours with VYLLA in Germany
SNNTG Festival w/ Sophia Göken Large Ensemble
Double Big Band Project HMTMH @Tonstudio Tessmar
SOPHIA GÖKEN LARGE ENSEMBLE
Her latest project, the Sophia Göken Large Ensemble, brings together everything she has absorbed over the years: jazz infused with hip-hop grooves, experimental electronic textures, and her classical roots.
With a unique orchestration — including string quartet, woodwinds, a brass- and rhythm-section, vocals, and electronics — she creates music of orchestral depth, electronic density, and improvisational openness.
Electronics are central to her work — shaping sonic landscapes, moods, noise, and a futuristic, urban aesthetic. Always searching for new forms, she pushes the boundaries of what jazz can be.
String-Section: Marlene Fischer (violin), Lotte Neick (violin), Caroline Wichmann (viola), Amelie Raschke (violoncello) __SALO Quartett
Reed-Section:Yvonne Schwitalla (flute, alto sax), Max Pöpsel (flute, alto sax), Emma Weymann (flute, tenor sax), Volkan Tan (bassclarinet, Bb clarinet, FX)
Brass-Section: Hauke Rüter (trumpet), Tom Trabandt (trumpet, FX), Frederik de Vries (tenor trombone), Nicole Vovk (bass trombone)
Rhythm-Section: Michel Lühring (e-bass, FX), Benedikt Bienert (drums), Pablo Ribet-Buse (e-guitar), Sophia Göken (vocals, piano, synth, FX)
Conductor: Tony Williams
www.vylla-music.de
VYLLA
One of her other main projects is VYLLA. The trio was founded in 2022 in Hanover, Germany. Since then they played several shows, tours and festivals in Germany and UK and recorded live sessions and their Debut EP KIDS IN PARLIAMENTS.
Michel Lühring - bass, fx
Benedikt Bienert - drums
Sophia Göken - vocals, piano, synth, fx
OTHER PROJECTS
Double Big Band Project by Raphael Thöne
HIDDEN SESSION with FATONI
@Magic Mile Studio
other sessions with Enno Bunger & Antje Schomaker will follow soon.
FLINTA* KOLLEKTIV
CYAN SESSIONS
The Cyan Sessions are a fluid and ever-evolving series of exhibitions. Over the course of four days, a captivating line-up — made up almost entirely of FLINTA* artists — leads the audience through a rich program of visual art, live music spanning from classical to pop, immersive DJ sets, and powerful theatre performances. At its core, the project is a space for the visibility, expression, and empowerment of FLINTA*s within the cultural sphere.
Since 2022, the FLINTA* collective has organized numerous exhibitions and events within Hanover’s cultural scene, has hosted their own jam session and has also been actively involved in university politics at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hanover.
Additionally, the collective has participated in the following events:
SNNTG Festival
Jazzwoche Hannover
Lavender Session @Kulturpalast Hannover
......
LIVE
2026
10-01 INTIMATE SHOUTOUTS PERFORMANCE BASEL
16-03 PATRICIJA SKOF CHOIR BASEL
24-02 AMIGO ALTMARK HANNOVER
26-02 AMIGO ALTMARK LEIPZIG
27-02 AMIGO ALTMARK DRESDEN
12-03 VYLLA BERLIN (RADIOEINS)
13-03 VYLLA BERLIN SECRET CONCERT W/ ATOMIC FRUIT
14-03 VYLLA DRESDEN KUKULIDA W/ CROME
16-03 VYLLA LEIPZIG JAZZ AM MONTAG W/ ELINEA
17-03 VYLLA VIENNA W/ MUEL
21-03 SOPHIA GÖKEN LARGE ENSEMBLE URBAN JAZZ FESTIVAL HAMBURG BIRDLAND
...
LIVE
2025
01-03 VYLLA X MUNTERFEL LUX LINDEN
14-03 SOPHIA GÖKEN LARGE ENSEMBLE BACHELOR RECITAL
25-03 VYLLA X BOOMCH CARDIFF (UK) PARADISE GARDEN
26-03 VYLLA X BOOMCH LONDON (UK) PIEHOUSE CO-OP
27-03 VYLLA X BOOMCH BRIGHTON (UK) THE BRUNSWICK
29-03 VYLLA X BOOMCH LONDON (UK) THE OLD DISPENSARY
04-04 VYLLA OLDENBURG UMBAUBAR
09-04 VYLLA HILDESHEIM CLUB VEB
10-04 VYLLA ROSTOCK JAZ
11-04 VYLLA DRESDEN KUKULIDA
12-03 VYLLA X BETWEEN4AND5 LEIPZIG GARAGE OST
26-04 VYLLA HANNOVER PLATZPROJEKT
30-04 AMIGO ALTMARK HANNOVER HÜTTENSTRAßE
16-05 SAD FUSSBALL HANNOVER OSCO
14-06 VYLLA HILDESHEIM MEILE DER DEMOKRATIE
26-06 VYLLA FUSION FESTIVAL LÄRZ
27-06 SWITCHERMACHINE FUSION FESTIVAL LÄRZ
10-07 VYLLA STUTTGART JAZZ OPEN FESTIVAL
16-07 VYLLA BREMEN OPEN SPACE DOMSHOF
26-07 SOPHIA GÖKEN LARGE ENSEMBLE SNNTG FESTIVAL
08-08 SWITCHERMACHINE CLASSIC DETECT FESTIVAL
11-08 MUSSTE HÖREN BAND HAZ MASCHSEEFEST
11-10 SOPHIA GÖKEN LARGE ENSEMBLE JAZZWOCHE HANNOVER
07-11 HIDDEN CONCERT W/ ADAM NEELY & LAU NOAH
20-12 VYLLA DAS UNKREATIV MÜNCHEN
21-12 VYLLA X MUEL HÜTTENSTRAßE HANNOVER
photo credits to Mel Rangel, Tom Trabandt, Maximilian Preisig.