From August 31 to September 5, 2025, Cologne Jazzweek returns for its fifth edition, establishing itself once again as a major highlight in the European jazz calendar. With an expected attendance of over 10,000 visitors, the festival presents a bold and forward-looking program that brings together large ensembles, urban performance spaces, and leading voices in contemporary jazz and improvised music.
This year’s edition focuses on improvisation as a collective and present-tense art form, spotlighting ambitious projects by Marta Warelis, Kit Downes, Fabian Dudek, and Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra, among others. The program explores the potential of large-format ensembles and new compositional strategies – offering audiences deep sonic experiences shaped by artistic curiosity and cultural dialogue.
At the heart of the festival is an urban, open concept that views the city of Cologne itself as a stage. Under the theme “City.Sound.Places”, music will unfold in unique venues such as the Cologne Cathedral, the Museum of East Asian Art, a bicycle station, and the Japanese Cultural Institute – where architecture, everyday life, and sonic experimentation intersect. These are not just concert spaces, but sites of inspiration that embody the festival’s commitment to accessibility, innovation, and social resonance.
Cologne Jazzweek continues to build bridges between the local avant-garde and the international scene, fostering new collaborations and premieres that reflect and shape current musical developments. Renowned venues like Stadtgarten, LOFT, and Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld serve as creative laboratories within this transnational network.
The 2025 lineup is complemented by a stellar international lineup including Tigran Hamasyan, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tyshawn Sorey, Mette Rasmussen, Craig Taborn, and Isaiah Collier, alongside genre-crossing acts like Kneebody, ENJI, and Jimetta Rose. In total, over 40 acts will perform across more than 15 venues, curated by an international board featuring Frank van Berkel (NL), Line Juul (NO), Rio Sakairi (US), Janning Trumann (DE), and Alfred Vogel (AT).
A highlight of this anniversary year will be a solo organ concert by Kit Downes in the iconic Cologne Cathedral – a unique encounter of sound, space, and spiritual atmosphere.
Cologne Jazzweek 2025 invites audiences to rediscover the city through music – as a space of possibility, collectivity, and sonic experimentation. Open, polyphonic, and uncompromisingly contemporary.
More information, the full program and tickets at:
www.colognejazzweek.de
