EJN Staff Exchange Programme

Sending EJN member: Budapest Music Center / Opus Jazz Club (Hungary)
Hosting EJN member: Jazzfest Berlin (Germany)
Dates of the exchange: 27 October – 3 November 2025

I had the opportunity to visit the 2025 edition of Jazzfest Berlin as part of the Europe Jazz Network Staff Exchange programme. As one of Europe’s oldest jazz festivals, Jazzfest Berlin is a unique and well-established celebration of creative music, and was also the recipient of the EJN Award for Most Adventurous Programming in 2021. Its core programme, which takes place across several venues in the city with the Berliner Festspiele at its centre, features iconic musicians year after year. Artists such as Pat Thomas, Mary Halvorson, and Patricia Brennan were among the highlights of this year’s edition.

Beyond its outstanding concert programme, what makes Jazzfest Berlin particularly remarkable to me is its strong focus on community engagement. Over the past three years, the festival has developed an extensive community programme, facilitating musical encounters and educational activities that allow children and participants to gain hands-on experience with improvisation. Having experienced parts of the community week as a visitor in 2024, when the Berlin district of Moabit hosted many of the activities, I became deeply interested in the idea of bringing creative music closer to people and highlighting the unifying power of improvisation.

During my exchange, I was closely involved with the Film Lab and the Moabit Imaginarium, two key elements of this year’s Community & Outreach programme. Spending time at the Gropius Bau during the filming process allowed me to experience a vibrant atmosphere, with musicians and participants from ImproLab working together on a striking film project. Over time, I also became involved in various practical tasks around the shoot and even appeared as an extra in one of the scenes.

Another highlight of the week was the premiere of the Moabit Imaginarium at the Jazz Institute Berlin. With rehearsals starting only a few days before the festival, this ensemble of eight musicians from diverse musical and cultural backgrounds developed and performed an exciting body of work. The project strongly emphasised the importance of discovering music through collective playing, something that feels increasingly vital in a world that often seems less open.

I am very grateful to Jazzfest Berlin for the opportunity to be part of this experience.