The Story

A laboratory for new practice in European Jazz. A place where leading educators and promoters come together to work on long-lasting solutions. To make an impact on jazz futures for audiences, musicians, promoters, and academics.

From North to South, from Oslo to Parma: Music conservatories are state-of-the-art these days. Students at academic faculties are used to not only having classy grand pianos in every other room, but also the most modern studio equipment at their disposal, any time of the day. But what comes after the degree?

Graduates regularly struggle to make a connection to the labor market. The “real” world is rough: thousands of talented musicians compete for few festivals slots and club programmes. Artists need help answering questions like:
How do you approach media and the audience?
How do you create relevance for bookers who are facing dozens of band applications every day?

Promoters and festival bookers, on the other hand, are in constant search of imaginative musicians at the top of their creative game. Rarely are artists more productive than in the years between 20 and 30 – exactly the age that students graduate. Some of the most exciting, substantial music around is created by twenty-somethings, working tirelessly in like-minded peer groups. What the business side is desperately trying to develop: close-knit working musical communities. Connections that young academics are able to establish with ease.

Linking these two worlds on a long-term basis is one of the primary goals of the Jazz Workshop. Putting together international working groups of promising young Jazz students. Passing knowledge from generation to generation, from the labor to the educational side and vice versa.

Another objective: revitalizing the large ensemble. Challenging the well-known big band format with traditional and digital tools, participants will explore new methods of composing and arranging.

As any major artist will report, practical experience before large audiences is invaluable. In constant team effort, students will aim at presenting their music at some of Europe’s most dynamic/vibrant Jazz festivals. But the Workshop does not end there.

Participants will create new repertoire for large ensembles. Plus, they will develop innovative methods that have sustainable impact on educational programmes and the cooperation between the labor market and the conservatories.

The Jazz Workshop – an international project that might just change the way that musical collaborations are perceived.