HMT-Jazzfest 9 - Konzert 1
HMT-Jazzfest 9 – International guest soloists perform together with students and ensembles from the HMT
Leadership: Prof. Pepe Berns and Prof. Martin Auer
It has now become a tradition and reliable presence in the cultural landscape of Leipzig that, alongside the numerous events of the Jazz Club (Leipzig Jazz Days, Music Time, and various individual concerts), the University of Music and Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” (HMT) organizes a two-day festival every two years, showcasing the vitality and diversity of this improvisational art form.
The special aspect of the HMT-Jazzfest is the educational mission of this event. The jazz/popular music department invites nationally and internationally renowned jazz greats who will work with our students in a three-day workshop situation to create several programs that will be performed on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, 2026, each starting at 7:30 PM in the Great Hall, Grassistr. 8.
The festival will be opened on the first evening by the winner of the Central German Jazz Award 2026, “Samuel Dietze´s Diagram.”
Following this, the Swiss-Polish-Japanese pianist, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Yomi Ito will bring a large ensemble, consisting of singers, wind players, string players, and a rhythm group, to the stage with a special set created for this occasion – “Yomi Ito Large Ensemble.”
The American drummer, conceptualist, and educator Thomas Howard Curtis (among others, professor in Graz from 2006 to 2021) will conclude the evening with a classic quintet formation: “Howard Curtis Festival Quintet.”
For the second evening, we are thrilled to host the fantastic bassist, bandleader, and composer Lisa Wulff (Echo Nominee), who has assembled a larger ensemble consisting of vocals, wind players, and a rhythm group – “Lisa Wulff Experience.”
We are particularly excited about the exceptional singer, publicist, and educator (teaching in Berlin, Essen, and Graz) and multi-award winner Lauren Newton, whose name hardly requires further introduction, as she has been one of the defining figures in the international jazz/avant-garde scene for over five decades. She will also lead a larger ensemble of a total of thirteen musicians for her program “No matter” – “Lauren Newton Exploration Orchestra.”
The internationally active, renowned saxophonist and composer Wanja Slavin (winner of the BMW Welt Jazz Award, among others) will conclude the festival program with compositions for a large ensemble consisting of two singers, seven wind players, and a rhythm group – “Wanja Slavin Leipzig Ensemble.”
On Saturday (11 AM in the rehearsal room at Grassistraße 8), there will be a panel discussion, as was the case in the last festival – this year with flutist, composer, and publicist Vincent Bababoutilabo, who is engaged in research on the phenomenon of “cultural appropriation.”
So be prepared for a diverse and colorful program!
Admission: 7:00 PM
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
