Kraków Jazz Week started in Krakow and will last until 3 October 2024. It consists of two prestigious music events – Seifert Competition and Jazz Juniors. The official inauguration of the festival took place at a press conference organised at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute headquarters in Warsaw.
Jazz Juniors 2024 – A Celebration of Jazz Music in Krakow
Since 1976, Jazz Juniors has been not only a music festival on Poland’s jazz map but also a meeting place for different generations – bringing together world-famous artists and young debutants. Notable artists such as Leszek Możdżer, Krzysztof Ścierański, Zbigniew Wegehaupt, Marek Bałata, the Niedziela brothers, the Pospieszalski brothers, and the iconic bands Walk Away and Miłość have made their first steps on the Jazz Juniors stage. In recent years, artists like Dominik Wania, Piotr Orzechowski “Pianohooligan”, and Tomasz Chyła have followed in their footsteps.
Jazz Juniors is actively expanding its efforts to promote Competition winners internationally. Thanks to the dedication of its organisers and jury members, the winners have the opportunity to perform on international stages and at prestigious festivals. Beginning this year, AMI has the honour of inviting the winner of the Jazz Juniors competition to be part of the Polish delegation at jazzahead!2025 in Bremen - the largest event in the global jazz industry – said Olga Brzezińska, deputy director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
The artistic director of Jazz Juniors in 2024 is the jazz legend, renowned Norwegian trumpeter and composer Nils Petter Molvaer. He will oversee the artistic programme for the next five years. The Norwegian musician will also perform at the Krakow festival as an artist-in-residence and will chair the jury of the Jazz Juniors Competition.
Kraków Jazz Week 2024
Last year, Kraków Jazz Week combined Jazz Juniors with one of the most important jazz events dedicated to string instruments in improvised music – the Seifert Competition. This international event is aimed at young violinists, violists, and cellists from around the world who are involved in jazz and improvised music. The competition commemorates one of the most important Polish jazz musicians, Zbigniew Seifert (1946-1979).
Kraków Jazz Week 2024 will take place from 26 September to 3 October 2024. During the 8-day event, competition auditions will be held at the Centre for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor CRICOTEKA. The winners of both competitions will receive numerous prizes and awards. The finalists’ performances will be watched by a group of international partners and guests – representatives of foreign festivals and record labels, who may invite young musicians to prestigious concerts and festivals.
Kraków Jazz Week is organised by the Film and Jazz Music Foundation and the Zbigniew Seifert Foundation, with co-organisation from institutions including the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, which is responsible for promoting Polish artists globally.