Jazz Juniors 2025 – Festival and Competition for Young Jazz Talents in Kraków

Jazz stars in Kraków this autumn! The Jazz Juniors Festival and Competition for young jazz talents will begin on 2 October 2025. Under the artistic direction of the outstanding Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer, the event combines tradition with modernity, showcasing diversity and innovation in jazz. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute, co-organising the project, is supporting the international development and promotion of young Polish musicians for another year.

Jazz Juniors Competition – a gateway to an international career for young musicians

The Jazz Juniors Festival and Competition are an integral part of Kraków Jazz Week. The first part of the week, Seifert Jazz Days (26–28 September 2025), paid tribute to the extraordinary legacy of Zbigniew Seifert, the outstanding Kraków violinist, saxophonist, and composer. During these days, artists sought resonance with his work, finding subtle echoes and inspirations in the contemporary jazz scene. 

The second part of Kraków Jazz Week, the Jazz Juniors Festival and Competition, will begin on 2 October 2025 at Cricoteka in Kraków. The focal point of Jazz Juniors is a competition for young jazz musicians, which for nearly fifty years has been at the centre of attention for the improvised music community and an important stepping stone to an international career. For another year in a row, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute is supporting the international development and promotion of young Polish musicians, giving them a chance to make their mark on European and global stages.

Young Polish Artists – the Future of Jazz in Kraków

For the second year in a row, the renowned Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer serves as artistic director and artist-in-residence of the Jazz Juniors Festival. His vision for the festival emphasises diversity, highlighting the role of women in jazz and the original fusion of musical genres. Over the course of the event, the stage will feature performances by the expressive Kasia Pietrzko Trio, the Norwegian trio Nothing Personal, trumpeter Piotr Damasiewicz with pianist Dominik Wania, and Norwegian drummer Erland Dahlen. The final concert, taking place at the Kraków Philharmonic, will be a unique musical encounter: artistic director Molvaer will perform alongside composer Soheil Shayesteh and Sinfonietta Cracovia, conducted by Paulina Porszke. The artists will premiere Shayesteh’s composition “Perceptual Dialogues” (for trumpet, kamancheh, orchestra and live electronics), created especially for the finale of the 49th edition of Jazz Juniors. The piece blends the sounds of Middle Eastern music, jazz, electronics, and orchestral grandeur to create an extraordinary, multidimensional musical story.

Programme of the Jazz Juniors Festival 2025:

• 2 October 2025, 7:00 pm – Cricoteka – Jazz Juniors Competition

• 3 October 2025, 7:00 pm – Cricoteka – Kasia Pietrzko Trio; Nothing Personal 

• 4 October 2025, 7:00 pm – Cricoteka – Piotr Damasiewicz / Dominik Wania; Erland Dahlen

• 5 October 2025, 7:00 pm – Kraków Philharmonic – Nils Petter Molvaer, Soheil Shayesteh, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Paulina Porszke 

• 5 October 2025, 10:00 pm – Hevre – Kravchenko & Clees

It is worth noting that many of the festival’s artists are winners of previous editions. The first evening will open with a concert by Kasia Pietrzko’s trio, which, performing as a quintet at the time, charmed both audience and jury, earning the Grand Prix of the 39th edition. The trio’s drummer, Piotr Budniak, is also a two-time winner of the Jazz Juniors Competition. The epilogue of the 49th edition will be a night-time performance by the duo that won the Grand Prix of the Kraków competition for young jazz musicians in 2023.

Jazz Juniors Festival and Competition 2025 in Kraków

• Dates: 2–5 October 2025

• Venue: Cricoteka, Kraków Philharmonic and Hevre, Kraków, Poland

• Tickets and more information are available at: https://en.jazzjuniors.com.pl/

• The event is co-organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.