European Jazz Conference

24 to 27 September 2026 - Cologne, Germany

From 24 to 27 September 2026, Cologne will host the European jazz and improvised music community for the first time in Germany. The conference is co-organised by the Europe Jazz Network (EJN) together with three of its members: Stadtgarten Köln, Cologne Jazzweek and the Monheim Triennale.

Bringing together more than 200 EJN member organisations from 38 countries alongside international professionals, the event will explore the role of jazz and improvised music in fostering societal dialogue, driving cultural innovation and strengthening democratic participation.

Under the guiding title “Who We Are, What We Stand For”, the conference’s discussions and exchange formats are designed to spark dialogue and help shape the future direction of the sector.

A central element of the programme is a showcase festival presenting 13 outstanding projects from the current German jazz scene. The event will also feature the EJN Awards 2026, celebrating individuals and organisations whose work has made a lasting impact on the European jazz landscape.

A Sector in Transition

The creative music sector is currently navigating a period of economic and structural change. Rising costs, evolving funding frameworks and increasing political pressures are reshaping the professional landscape. The European Jazz Conference 2026 provides a platform for professionals to come together, share experience and develop forward-looking strategies, while exploring new approaches to sustain and evolve their work.

Societal Discourse and Professional Perspectives

The conference opens with a keynote speech by British pianist Alexander Hawkins, offering a reflection around the Conference title, “Who We Are, What We Stand For”. This is followed by a panel debate that will examine the responsibility of cultural institutions in times of crisis, as well as the role of improvised music in strengthening social cohesion. Panellists include Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen (former Minister for Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia), Shabnam Parvaresh (Morgenland Festival), Eric Birath (Fasching Club & Stockholm Jazz Festival), and Daniel Zimmermann (former Mayor of Monheim am Rhein), and it will be moderated by Annefleur Schipper (journalist, online & TV creator).

The professional programme offers practical tools alongside forward-looking perspectives on key challenges facing the sector. Its thematic range spans sustainable funding models and cultural policy advocacy through to mental health in the context of precarity within the cultural field. Additional panels explore fair practices, digital visibility, and the societal impact of jazz as a catalyst for democratic participation.

The Conference’s programme committee 2026 is composed by: Karolina Juzwa - chair (Wytwórnia Foundation), Raluca Baicu (North Sea Round Town), Alex Carr (Cheltenham Festivals), Francesca Cerretani (Europe Jazz Network), Reiner Michalke (Monheim Triennale), Steve Mead (Manchester Jazz Festival), Annamaija Saarela (G Livelab Tampere), Giambattista Tofoni (Europe Jazz Network), Janning Trumann (Cologne Jazzweek), Kornelia Vossebein (Stadtgarten Köln), Stefano Zucchiatti (Europe Jazz Network).

Showcase Festival and EJN Awards 2026

Running alongside the discourse programme, a showcase festival highlights the breadth and vitality of the German scene across venues including Stadtgarten Köln, Loft and the Sartory Hall. The 13 selected ensembles were chosen by a specialist curatorial committee comprising Marie Blobel (Jazzwerkstatt Peitz), Reiner Michalke (Monheim Triennale), Louis Rastig (A L'ARME!), Annika Sautter (Leipziger Jazztage), Janning Trumann (Cologne Jazzweek) and Kornelia Vossebein (Stadtgarten). The showcase aims to reflect the artistic quality and diversity of Germany as a creative hub within a wider European context. The programme spans formats from solo performance to larger ensembles, encompassing approaches from free improvisation to interdisciplinary work.

The line-up includes Big Breeezy’s Mumble Mafia, Cheel, Evi Filippou – Inevitable, Florian Herzog Almost Natural, GANNA, Holly Schlott – Unique, Malstrom, Neon Dilemma, the Olga Reznichenko Trio, Rabih Lahoud’s MASAA, Sera Karlo’s EX.II, Sheen Trio, and Zola Mennenhöh – A Labour of Love.

A central element of the programme is the presentation of the EJN Awards 2026, recognising outstanding contributions to the European jazz infrastructure. They will include the 15th EJN Award for Adventurous Programming, the 8th EJN Music & Community Award, and a concert by the Grand Prix winners of the 1st Ukrainian Jazz Prize: Kyiv-based Hyphen Dash, blending elements of jazz, hip-hop, electronica and fusion.

Cologne as a Centre of Innovation

As the first German host city, Cologne underscores the international profile of the region. The conference coincides with the 40th anniversary of Stadtgarten Köln, the “European Centre for Jazz and Contemporary Music”, and- through collaboration with the Monheim Triennale and Cologne Jazzweek- generates fresh momentum for creative and improvised music.

Registrations for the European Jazz Conference 2026 are now OPEN on the Eventbrite platform, both for EJN members and for regular participants.

For more information on the programme, please check out the Conference’s brochure that was presented at jazzahead! 2026.

For information on how to reach the city of Cologne for the Conference, please download the Infosheet here attached.

The Europe Jazz Network is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

12th European Jazz Conference

24 - 27 September 2026, Cologne, Germany

Who We Are, What We Stand For

Whenever we meet these days, we share stories of our professional struggles: struggles to make ends meet, cope with soaring costs, stay afloat as cultural priorities shift, keep staff motivated, retain audiences and remain optimistic in the face of it all.

The new reality is that our sector is in crisis: the geopolitical climate is worsening each day, with governments in the US and parts of Europe using culture as a tool to drive nationalistic, divisive agendas and to retain power. At the same time, organisations are losing funding, staff and audiences, bringing an increased risk of drained energy and motivation.

In such times, we need strategies to secure our economic and artistic survival, effective tools to influence policymakers and to anchor our role within cultural agendas, and guidance on how to cope with mounting pressures and to renew our sense of purpose. We must strengthen our collective voice as upholders of democratic values and position jazz and improvised music as vital spaces for civic engagement and cultural enrichment. Our duty is not merely to find ways to survive, but to be instrumental in advancing social and democratic prosperity in our societies.

Our actions must reflect what defines us. By reclaiming our sense of mission in a world facing ethical challenges, and by taking strength in numbers, we can continue to assert the value and power of culture. We must recognise what is at stake: hold on to our vision and commit to our role in shaping a more open, democratic and culturally vibrant society. In essence: who we are and what we stand for.

Thursday, 24 September 2026

- FOR EJN MEMBERS ONLY -

14:00 - Registrations for EJN members - 25hours Hotel

15:00 - 15:50 Welcome session for new members and ‘30 under 35’ - 25hours Hotel

16:00 - 17:15 Brainstorm on EJN strategy & next activities (split groups) - 25hours Hotel

18:00 - 20:30 FORMAL EJN GENERAL ASSEMBLY - Volksbühne

- OPEN TO ALL -

20:30 - 21:30 SHOWCASE: Florian Herzog’s Almost Natural - LOFT

22:30 - 23:00 SHOWCASE: Sera Kalo’s eX.II - Stadtgarten Concert Hall

23:30 - 23:50 SHOWCASE: MALSTROM - JAKI, Club at Stadtgarten

Friday, 25 September 2026

09:30 - Registrations for everybody - 25hours Hotel

10:30 - 11:00 Official opening and welcome speeches - Sartory Hall

11:00 - 11:20 KEYNOTE SPEECH: Alexander Hawkins (UK) - Sartory Hall

Alexander Hawkins is a composer, pianist, organist and bandleader widely regarded as one of the most distinctive and innovative voices in contemporary European creative music. Active as a solo performer, band leader and collaborator, he has worked with leading figures across generations and has been widely commissioned by festivals, venues and ensembles worldwide. Alongside his musical practice, he is also a writer and broadcaster, bringing a uniquely reflective perspective to his work as this year’s keynote speaker.

11:30 - 12:30 PANEL DEBATE: Who We Are, What We Stand For - Sartory Hall

Building on the ideas raised in Alexander Hawkins’ keynote, this session brings together artists, programmers and policy makers, guided by a moderator from the media world. Together, they explore what it means to support the creation and presentation of culture, and especially of jazz and improvised music, at a time when artistic values, public funding and freedom of expression can no longer be taken for granted.

Shabnam Parvaresh (IR/DE), artist & artistic director of Morgenland festival
Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen (DE), former State Minister for Culture for North Rhine-Westphalia
Eric Birath (SE), director of Fasching club & Stockholm Jazz Festival
Daniel Zimmermann (DE), former Mayor of Monheim
MODERATOR: Annefleur Schipper (NL), journalist, presenter, online & TV creator

12:30 - 13:00 Group photo

13:00 - 14:30 Lunch - 25hours Hotel

15:00 - 16:30 Five parallel DISCUSSION GROUPS - 25hours Hotel

Resourcing our activities in an increasingly uncertain political & economic environment - FOR LARGE FESTIVALS / VENUES
Resourcing our activities in an increasingly uncertain political & economic environment - FOR SMALL SCALE CLUBS / FESTIVALS
Resourcing our activities in an increasingly uncertain political & economic environment - FOR NATIONAL / REGIONAL SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS
Who’s in the room? Embedding diversity through community-led practice & participation
From radio to influencers: analysing the changing relationship between jazz & media professionals

17:00 - 17:30 SHOWCASE: Olga Reznichenko Trio - Stadtgarten Concert Hall

17:40 - 18:10 SHOWCASE: CHEEL - JAKI, Club at Stadtgarten

18:10 - 19:00 Free time / networking

19:00 - 21:00 Dinner - 25hours Hotel

21:00 - 21:40 SHOWCASE: Zola Mennenöh’s A LABOUR OF LOVE - Sartory Hall

21:50 - 22:30 SHOWCASE: Holly Schlott’s Unique - Sartory Hall

22:30 - Wind-down / social gathering - 25hours Hotel

Saturday, 26 September 2026

09:30 - Registrations for everybody - 25hours Hotel

10:30 - 11:00 Celebration of the EJN Awards 2026 - Sartory Hall

11:00 - 11:30 SHOWCASE: Hyphen Dash / Ukrainian Jazz Prize Winners 2026 - Sartory Hall

Polina Maiboroda – keys
Dmytro Startsev – keys, fx
Yevhen Puhachov – gtr, b
Mykhailo Birchenko – dr

11:45 - 13:00 Five parallel DISCUSSION GROUPS - 25hours Hotel

Maintaining values & defending artistic freedom in music programming
Fair play: shaping a Fair Practice Charter for the creative music sector
Scene development: cherishing artists, promoters, talent incubators & audiences
Wellbeing & mental health: setting good practice in our daily work
Understanding how digital tech is reshaping live music, process and communities

13:00 - 14:30 Lunch - 25hours Hotel

15:00 - 16:00 Speed meetings for EJN members or free time / networking - Stadtgarten restaurant

16:15 - 16:45 SHOWCASE: Rabih Lahoud’s MASAA - Stadtgarten Concert Hall

16:45 - 17:15 Wrap-up and presentation of the European Jazz Conference 2027 - Stadtgarten Concert Hall

17:30 - 18:00 SHOWCASE: Sheen Trio - JAKI, Club at Stadtgarten

18:15 - 18:45 SHOWCASE: NEON DILEMMA - Stadtgarten Concert Hall

19:00 - 21:00 Dinner - Stadtgarten beer garden

21:00 - 21:30 SHOWCASE: Evi Fillipou’s InEvitable - Stadtgarten Concert Hall

21:45 - 22:15 SHOWCASE: GANNA - JAKI, Club at Stadtgarten

22:30 - 23:10 SHOWCASE: BIG BREEEZY´s MUMBLE MAFIA - Stadtgarten Concert Hall

23:15 - Wind-down / afterparty - Stadtgarten

Sunday, 27 September 2026

10:30 - 13:00 Cultural tours & activities (TBA)

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Programme committee 2026: Karolina Juzwa - chair (Wytwórnia Foundation, PL), Raluca Baicu (North Sea Round Town, NL), Alex Carr (Cheltenham Festivals, UK), Francesca Cerretani (Europe Jazz Network, IT), Reiner Michalke (Monheim Triennale, DE), Steve Mead (Manchester Jazz Festival, UK), Annamaija Saarela (G Livelab Tampere, FI), Giambattista Tofoni (Europe Jazz Network, IT), Janning Trumann (Cologne Jazzweek, DE), Kornelia Vossebein (Stadtgarten Köln, DE), Stefano Zucchiatti (Europe Jazz Network, IT).

Showcase curators 2026: Marie Blobel (Jazzwerkstatt Peitz), Reiner Michalke (Monheim Triennale), Louis Rastig (A L'ARME!), Annika Sautter (Leipziger Jazztage), Janning Trumann (Cologne Jazzweek) and Kornelia Vossebein (Stadtgarten)

Florian Herzog – Almost Natural

LOFT. Thursday, 24.09.26, 20.30-21.30

Sebastian Gille – sax
Chaerin Im – p/synth
Florian Herzog – b
Leif Berger – dr

Tension and release, chords and clusters, pulse and beat, bonus and penalty: it is often contrasts and opposites from which a work of art derives its tension, and true beauty reveals itself only when it is marked by a flaw. In his improvisational music, Cologne-based bassist and bandleader Florian Herzog also draws on the principle of opposites, without, however, allowing himself to be dominated by it. Equally important to him are parameters inherent to music itself, such as rhythm and dynamics, harmony and melody, which he knows how to unfold together with Sebastian Gille (saxophone), Chaerin Im (piano, synthesizer), Leif Berger (drums), and himself on the double bass. This brings out qualities that ensure contemporary jazz gains even more tension and is further energized when anticipation and interaction give structure and form to the free improvisation flowing from the four musicians.

Sera Kalo`s eX.II

Stadtgarten Saal. Thursday, 24.09.26, 22.30-23.00

Sera Kalo – voc/eb
Marius Max – sax/efx
Sofia Eftychidou – b
Lukas Akintaya – dr

Sera Kalo was born and raised in the U.S. state of Connecticut as Christine Servaine. Via New York, she moved to Dresden, Germany, in 2009, where she studied jazz vocals for several semesters at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music. She now lives in Berlin; for Kalo, the German capital—with its highly international artistic scene—has become the place where she finds her political identity, just as Berlin has become the creative environment for shaping her own music. In her work, she blends free jazz with soul and hip-hop, combining her political awareness and social conscience with a quiet poetry to bring the subtlest nuances and every detail to the surface. For Kalo, jazz is not a musical genre. Rather, jazz is an attitude with which she absorbs the events around her in order to reflect on her immediate surroundings and transform them into music.

MALSTROM

JAKI. Thursday, 24.09.26, 23.20-23.50

Florian Walter – sax
Axel Zajac – gtr
Jo Beyer – dr

In 2010, drummer Jo Beyer founded the group with guitarist Axel Zajac and tenor saxophonist Salim Javaid while they were studying music in Osnabrück. The decision not to fill the bass position was a conscious one: they knew how the music had to sound without a bass, because it would be played by a collective of three improvisational artists working as equals. Florian Walter is now the saxophonist for Malstrom; this change in personnel has had little impact on the trio’s concept. What the three bring to the stage is not conventional jazz. Rather, it is improvisational music that draws aesthetically from many sources. With Malstrom, the music can rock loudly and shift into brutal drones; it can be completely “free” and condense into clusters of sound, yet the melodic and harmonic elements are not neglected. This unpretentious hybridity stems from Malstrom’s roots in the present.

Olga Reznichenko Trio

Stadtgarten Saal. Friday, 25.09.26, 17.00-17.30

Olga Reznichenko – p/comp
Lorenz Heigenhuber – b
Maximilian Stadtfeld – dr

Olga Reznichenko has titled the second album by her trio—formed in 2018 with Lorenz Heigenhuber (bass) and Max Stadtfeld (drums)—“Rhythm Dissection.” The English word “dissection” translates to “dissection” or “disassembly” in German. This is perhaps the best way to describe the metrically complex improvisational music of the pianist, who was born in 1989 in Taganrog, Russia, on the Sea of Azov, and has lived in Germany since 2012. With Reznichenko, odd meters sound as natural as can be, as if they had been an integral part of her musical consciousness from the very beginning. Especially in her anticipatory interplay with her two partners on bass and drums, the pieces oscillate between irregular measures that are sometimes stretched and then compressed again—whichever the flow allows. The chords mark the harmonic progression, while the themes do not simply follow a melody but set a framework for the perception of an aesthetically boundless improvisational music.

CHEEL

JAKI. Friday, 25.09.26, 17.40-18.10

Luise Volkmann – sax
Keisuke Matsuno – gtr
Max Andrzejewski – dr

The flow state is essential, especially for creativity. Balancing a slight sense of being overwhelmed with one’s own abilities creates a creative process driven by the constant alternation between tension and relaxation. The collaborative trio CHEEL—featuring Cologne-based saxophonist Luise Volkmann and Berlin-based drummer Max Andrzejewski and guitarist Keisuke—also explores this mental state. The pieces are generally long and have no breaks. They span a range from simple folk songs to complex improvisational music and raw punk rock. It is often repetitive patterns that structure the musical process; at the same time, trance-like repetitions and rhythmic circling ensure that redundancies are avoided on the one hand, while triggering new sonic events on the other.

Zola Mennenöh – A LABOUR OF LOVE

Sartory. Friday, 25.09.26, 21.00-21.40

Zola Mennenöh – voc/comp
Caecilie Balling – viol
Emily Wittbrodt – cel
Kathrin Pechlof – harp
Gintė Preisaitė – p/synth
Phil Donkin – b

Strictly speaking, the term “soundscape” refers to the totality of sounds in a specific place, including all its natural sounds, traffic noise, and voices—both loud and soft. This definition can also be applied inward to describe people’s mental state. This is roughly the approach taken by singer and composer Zola Mennenöh, who lives in both Berlin and Copenhagen, when she began working on her program “A Labour of Love.” To stand up for her convictions and give voice to her anger at an increasingly chaotic world around her, Mennenöh actually takes a step back and lets the lyrical timbre of her voice speak for itself, just as much as the quiet flow of her spoken words. Combined with digitally developed sound textures and the nuanced dynamics of analog instruments, these imaginary soundscapes create a captivating emotionality.

Holly Schlott – Unique

Sartory. Friday, 25.09.26, 21.50-22.30

Holly Schlott – lead/comp
Eric Leuthäuser – voc/efx
Zuza Jasínska – voc/efx
Julie Sassoon – p
Benjamin Geyer – synth/efx
Julius Apriadi – vib
Tanja Becker – trb
Olga Amelchenko – sax
Birgitta Flick – sax
Orlando de Boeykens – tuba
Tilo Weber – dr

The fact that Berlin-based saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Holly Schlott has launched her ensemble Unique is particularly significant. “Music knows no gender,” Schlott is convinced, “but it does know attitude!” For her, her ensemble of soloists is the blueprint for a utopia: music functions as a dialogue between the instrumentalists on stage and the audience in front of them, just as it also creates connections between generations. It builds bridges across divides, but is also an expression of lived identity. Unique does not play classical orchestral jazz. Rather, this eleven-piece band delivers the richness of sound for multifaceted chamber music by dissolving opposites and allowing for contradictions. The musicians appreciate the melodic as much as the concrete beat, but they are also aware of the tension that arises when these parameters are dissolved. Music as an alternative to today’s political turmoil? For Schlott and Unique, that fits.

Rabih Lahoud – MASAA

Stadtgarten Saal. Saturday, 26.09.26, 16.15-16.45

Rabih Lahoud – voc
Reentko Dirks – gtr
Demian Kappenstein – dr/perc
Marcus Rust – trp/flg

Masaa is Arabic for “evening”—that time of day when outlines are still visible, yet much is already blurred by the twilight. This is also how one might describe the improvisational music of the Masaa Quartet, led by singer Rabih Lahoud, who was born in Lebanon in 1982 and has lived in Germany for many years. Together with Reentko Dirks (guitar), Demian Kappenstein (drums), and Marcus Rust (trumpet), Lahoud celebrates the coming together that often takes place in the evening. It is the translation of shared storytelling and narration into a piece of music; it is a defiance of boundaries—the imaginary ones between people, but also the concrete ones between nations. Together, they bring together the classical music of Europe with the jazz of the USA; the connection between the two genres is, in turn, the meandering, melismatic melody of the Arabic maqam and the distinctive style of Lahoud’s native language, in which he sings the songs.

Sheen Trio

JAKI. Saturday, 26.09.26, 16.15-16.45

Shabnam Parvaresh – bcla/cla/efx
Ula Martyn-Ellis – gtr
Philipp Buck – dr

“Sheen” is the 16th letter of the Persian alphabet and also the first letter of the first name of clarinetist Shabnam Parvaresh, who was born and raised in Tehran in 1983 and has lived in Osnabrück since 2014. This is also—and precisely why—she chose it as the name for her trio with Ula Martyn-Ellis (guitar) and Philipp Buck (drums). The music is rich in contrast and draws its tension equally from harsh breaks as it builds bridges across divides. At times it sounds edgy, rugged, and gruff; at others, it reveals a quiet lyricism and a contemplative mellowness, which may come as a surprise at first in this often rough-and-tumble, rock-infused setting. Parvaresh’s playing on the clarinets often has a staged and performative quality, which lends even greater confidence to the musicians’ anticipatory interplay on equal footing and makes the complexity in the music’s arrangement sound entirely natural.

NEON DILEMMA

Stadtgarten Saal. Saturday, 26.09.26, 18.15-18.45

Elias Stemeseder – p/synth
Robert Landfermann – b
Leif Berger – dr

Neon Dilemma is a collaborative band featuring Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder, who divides his time between Berlin and New York, and Cologne-based musicians Robert Landfermann (bass) and Leif Berger (drums). With their trio, the three musicians pursue the vision of transforming the traditional concept of the “classical” 20th-century jazz piano trio into improvised music for the 21st century, drawing on today’s musical sensibilities and technical possibilities. In the flow of free improvisation, the music develops intuitively from the moment; each of the three anticipates the other’s playing, thereby creating tension within the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic foundation. New and surprising connections constantly emerge in sound, timbre, and dynamics, while form and structure are renegotiated through interaction.

Evi Fillipou – InEvitable

Stadtgarten Saal. Saturday, 26.09.26, 21.00-21.30

Evi Filippou – vib/perc/voc
Zuza Jasinska – voc
Keisuke Matsuno – gtr
Robert Lucaciu – b
Jim Hart – dr

With InEvitable, Evi Filippou—born in Volos, Greece, in 1993 and having moved to Berlin in 2011 to study classical percussion—explores her roots. These roots can be found, on the one hand, in Greek folklore and the rembetiko music popular in her homeland, and on the other, in the folk songs of the 1960s, harmonically complex contemporary classical music, and contemporary improvisational music. Filippou, however, is not merely a virtuoso on the vibraphone and various percussion instruments. Rather, she is a sophisticated performer who stages her pieces—adorned with every possible item from her travel kit—in a manner that is as refined as it is opulent and humorous. The result sounds like a blend of a Berlin dance hall and a Parisian music salon from 100 years ago, the classical ambiance of a philharmonic hall, and a venue for improvised music—all at the same time and in real time.

GANNA

JAKI. Saturday, 26.09.26, 21.45-22.15

GANNA – voc/synth/gtr
Laura Robles – cajon/congas/perc
Vojta Drnek – acc

The Ukrainian vocal artist GANNA has delivered a true masterpiece with “Utopia.” “I love discovering new things,” says the singer, born Ganna Gryniva in 1989, who moved from Ukraine to Germany with her family in 2002. “It’s a completely new sonic universe, influenced equally by folk and jazz. I had to find my own musical language—sometimes dreamy, sometimes danceable—using synthesizers, loops, and other musicians.” For some time now, GANNA has been experimenting with imaginative, analog and digitally produced soundscapes that blend with traditional melodies and choirs from her homeland and are based on field recordings made during her travels to Ukraine. Additional voices often join in to broaden the range of timbres—such as the Afro-Peruvian cajón player and bassist Laura Robles or the Czech accordionist Vojta Drnek.

BIG BREEEZY´s MUMBLE MAFIA

Stadtgarten Saal. Saturday, 26.09.26, 22.30-23.10

Fabian Dudek – sax
Roger Kintopf – eb
Joshua Knauber – dr
Victor Fox – sax

The origin of his stage name is simple: While studying saxophone, Victor Fox—born in 2000—practiced circular breathing nonstop. This first became “Big Breathing,” and later evolved into the onomatopoeic “Big Breezy.” There’s also an explanation for “Mumble Jazz”: As a member of Gen Z, Fox references the hip-hop subgenre mumble rap on one hand, while on the other, he draws on the English verb “to mumble” to describe the dialect of his home region in eastern Hesse, which sounds like mumbling and muttering. The young saxophonist, who lives in Cologne, takes this camouflage to the extreme when he stands on stage during his quartet’s performances with a ski mask pulled over his face while playing the saxophone. Big Breezy’s modern jazz sounds raw and often comes across as unruly; at times, Fox and his band adopt the brash attitude of punk rock. Moreover, their mumble jazz is rhythmically complex and generates an incredible sense of urgency in its expression.

Stadtgarten Köln

Stadtgarten Köln is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading venues for contemporary and improvised music. Today, it hosts more than 400 events each year, spanning the full breadth of current musical expression. Its international reputation is rooted above all in the strength of its ambitious and experimental programming. Alongside leading international artists and ensembles, outstanding projects from Cologne’s local scene and the wider North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) region receive dedicated support and a prominent platform.

Since 2017, in partnership with the City of Cologne and the state of NRW, Stadtgarten Köln has been developed into the ‘European Centre for Jazz and Contemporary Music’. A key component of this initiative is the NICA artist development programme, established at Stadtgarten in 2019 and realised by the venue. Funded by the state of NRW, NICA supports exceptional artists working in jazz and contemporary music at pivotal stages in their careers. Beyond its diverse concert and cultural programme, Stadtgarten serves as a vital production hub and meeting point for the jazz and improvisation scenes in Cologne and across NRW. It regularly commissions new works and provides rehearsal and production space for premieres.

In September 2026, Stadtgarten Köln celebrates its 40th anniversary.

www.stadtgarten.de

Monheim Triennale

The Monheim Triennale was an international music festival held in Monheim am Rhein. A key feature was its three-year cycle comprising the editions The Sound, The Prequel, and The Festival. The final edition of the Monheim Triennale took place in 2025.

For The Sound in 2023, fifteen internationally renowned artists developed site-specific sound art works and presented them in public spaces for four weeks. In 2024, five international curators, together with festival director Reiner Michalke, invited sixteen musicians and composers to the small town of Monheim am Rhein. The result was an incredibly diverse cross-section of the contemporary music scene, spanning all national and genre boundaries. These musicians first met at the workshop edition The Prequel 2024 and performed in various constellations over the course of three days. They then developed specific projects, the so-called signature projects, for bands and ensembles, which they presented at The Festival 2025.

In addition, through diverse collaborations with local ensembles, schools, and other educational institutions, the Monheim Triennale offered all interested parties the opportunity for direct engagement through artistic workshops, artist talks, and concerts.

www.monheim-triennale.de

Cologne Jazzweek

Founded in 2021, Cologne Jazzweek has rapidly established itself as one of Europe’s leading festivals for jazz and improvised music. Emerging from Cologne’s vibrant and internationally connected jazz scene, the festival reflects the city’s reputation as a hub for innovative music.

Each year, Cologne Jazzweek presents more than 50 concerts across over 20 venues, ranging from major concert halls to independent clubs and interdisciplinary spaces. Its program brings together internationally acclaimed artists and emerging voices, creating a platform that connects local identity with global perspectives.

The festival operates with a rotating curatorial board, whose members serve two-year terms, ensuring a continuously evolving artistic perspective. Artistic director Janning Trumann oversees the overall vision. Cologne Jazzweek focuses on artistic exchange, new productions, and sustainable collaboration, strengthening Cologne’s role as a key meeting point for the international jazz community.

www.jazzweek.de