Showcases

Mirna Bogdanović is an award-winning jazz singer/composer, as well as the program curator of jazz club Donau115 in Berlin. In the last few years she released two critically acclaimed albums. Her debut album won the Deutscher Jazzpreis.

Enrico Bettinello is a music and performing arts curator, professor and writer based in Venice (IT). He is the artistic director of WeStart/NovaraJazz and New Echo System/Pro Helvetia in Venice. He curates the talent development program for I-Jazz.

Josef Heinl is a pianist and composer. The 26-year-old recipient of the 2023 Jazz Promotion Award of his hometown Ingolstadt has been shaping the Ingolstadt jazz scene for years as a musician and bandleader. He also serves in various capacities for Ingolstädter Jazztage.

Kaisa Mäensivu is a Finnish jazz bassist who has kicked off an international career and holding the chair of artistic director for the international 4-day Savoy Jazz Festival in Helsinki. She studied at the jazz department / Sibelius-Academy before moving to New York City.

Marieke is exploring and walking the field of music, internationally, as a coach for young artists, lyricist and (showcase) festival producer/programmer/director with a heart for emerging bands/projects. Advisor at the Dutch Performing Arts Fund.

Maria Rylander began as a jazz vocalist, studying at the University of Gothenburg and CNSMD, Paris. After working as Head of Marketing at Nefertiti Jazz Club she developed the network Knutpunkt, uniting 26 concert organizers in south Sweden.

Maaike Teunissen is programmer at Brebl, a cultural spot and jazz venue at Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She is also project leader of the annual jazz festival at the end of October: Festival Jazz International Nijmegen.

Anastasia Wolkenstein has been running a booking agency for contemporary jazz for 15 years. She is founder of the International Jazzfestival Sparks & Visions in Regensburg, Germany, and artistic director of Jazz&TheCity in Salzburg, Austria.

Lucy is a creative producer and coach based in Manchester, UK. With 15 years’ experience in the music sector, her work includes Development Manager for Edition Records, Festival Director of Lancaster Jazz Festival, coaching practice while connecting the EU and UK.

Atsuko established Eight Islands Co., Ltd after launching the Tokyo Jazz Festival serving as producer/artistic director. She is connecting Japan and the world through music and culture by producing concerts/festivals, promoting international artists to Japan and Japanese artists abroad.

Montse Faura is experienced in musical programming, cultural management/policies. She holds roles as the CEO of Joventuts Musicals de Torroella de Montgrí, artistic director of the Torroella de Montgrí Festival and founder and director of the Jazz Festival de l’Estartit-Costa Brava.

Roger Lygre Solvang is the general manager for Bergen Jazzforum, founded in 1972 and still one of the most important jazz-promoters in Norway. He is also associated with the Nattjazz-festival, doing PR and working with programming.

Steve Mead is Artistic Director/CEO of Manchester Jazz Festival, responsible for programming, artist development and commissioning. He also works for Jazz North, was co-founder of the Jazz Promotion Network and sits on the Europe Jazz Network board.

Ábel Petneki promotes jazz, contemporary and classical concerts at Budapest Music Center and Opus Jazz Club since 2017. BMC is an independent concert venue, jazz club, record label, and music library with an outlook to Europe & beyond.

Regina Fisch is the founder and director of DE/SEMBLE, a festival for jazz and adventurous music in Vienna. An essential part of her cultural work is the inclusion of strategic measures for more equality in the music industry.

Lina Nyberg is one of Sweden’s most creative singers and composers. For more than 25 years her work has attracted consistent attention in many parts of the world. She is Associate Professor at the Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen Norway.

Isumi Rögner is a cultural manager, dramaturge and translator. She works as Jazz advisor at Goethe-Institut’s cultural department. With her newly founded niq kollektiv and as part of Jazz+, she is committed to further enriching the lively jazz scene in Munich.

Olivia Ansell is the 2022-2025 Artistic Director of Sydney Festival. As graduate of Queensland University of Technology, the Australia Council’s Executive Leadership Program/Chief Executive Women Leadership Program Sydney, Olivia was voted one of Vivid Sydney’s Top 100 Creative Catalysts.

S is the artistic director of the concert promoter bee-flat at PROGR Bern. Developing musical-artistic visions, connecting people and distilling a demanding, high-quality and diverse programme from all this - this is her central intention.

Christel Kumpen is co-founder of Sound in Motion, a Belgian based organization that promotes jazz, improvised and experimental music, with a nomadic concert series, a record label, a festival and a creative sonic residence space.

Chen is the artistic director of the "QueenTA Woman Jazz festival", whose purpose is to promote female work in the field of jazz. Chen is the musical director of the representative ensemble - "QueenTA Ensemble", a group of five of the best female musicians in Israel.

Guy van Hulst is artistic manager at TivoliVredenburg and Transition Jazz Festival in Utrecht – the Netherlands. He has been programming jazz-, contemporary-music, children- and chambermusic programs and festivals for over twenty-five years.

Claire Diboa is artist manager and tv producer. She managed the late Manu Dibango for 24 years and artists like Manou Gallo, Natalia M. King. She produced a TV show (Platine Africa) on French television (TV5 Monde). Today, she acts as an Event Manager promoting African jazz music.