EJN press release
Evi Filippou’s inEvitable is the recipient of the 5th EJN Zenith Award
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We are pleased to announce that the 5th EJN Zenith Award for emerging artists has been awarded to Evi Filippou’s inEvitable. A jury of EJN members selected the band following its performance in the showcase programme of the European Jazz Conference 2026 in Cologne.
The Zenith Award was established in 2019 in collaboration with 12 Points Festival to shine a spotlight on a remarkable European ensemble or solo project working in creative jazz and improvised music, that was performing at an edition of that festival. For the first time this year, due to the cancellation of 12 Points, the Award winner was instead selected from the showcase programme of the European Jazz Conference 2026 in Cologne. A jury of EJN members, all programmers of festivals and venues across Europe, attended all 13 showcases and met daily to discuss the performances before making their final choice.
The motivation of the jury: “The jury bestows the EJN Zenith Award 2026 to Evi Filippou’s inEvitable for a performance bursting with energy, imagination and the joy of making music together. Vibraphone, guitars, bass, drums and voices opened up a colourful musical world, full of unexpected encounters: a vibraphone could sound like a guitar, and percussion became a shared playground. Filippou’s inventive compositions and magnetic presence gave the music a clear direction while leaving space for each musician’s personality and the spark of improvisation. Alive with rhythmic exchanges and playful shifts, the band drew the audience into its world from the very first minute. For the jury, choosing the band was just that: inevitable.”
The 2026 Zenith Award jury was composed of Frank van Berkel (Bimhuis, the Netherlands), Marina Fernández (Plataforma Jazz España & Festival JazzCádiz, Spain), Regina Fisch (TUMULTTOTAL + DE/SEMBLE Festival, Austria), Birgit Krullo (Jazzkaar Festivals, Estonia).
The band will now receive performances and promotional opportunities from EJN, including support for an international tour and concerts within the EJN membership, and assistance in setting up a communication and professional development strategy to promote the Zenith Award winners through its members and contacts.
Previous recipients of the Zenith Award were SC’ÖÖF from Switzerland in 2025, Liv Andrea Hauge trio from Norway in 2024, Nout from France in 2023 and Trio Heinz Herbert from Switzerland in 2019.
More information about the EJN Awards is available here.
About Evi Filippou’s inEvitable
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.
Line-up:
- Zuza Jasinska – voc
- Evi Filippou – vib, perc, voc, comp
- Keisuke Matsuno – gtr
- Arne Braun – gtr
- Robert Lucaciu – b
- Jim Hart – dr
Links:
Booking:
Agentur Wolkenstein
Anastasia Wolkenstein
https://www.agentur-wolkenstein.de/portfolio/inevitable/
BeNeLux: Chilli chilli agency
Esat Ekincioglu
https://chillichilliagency.com/
Photo (c) Janet Sinica