News > 32ND IZMIR EUROPEAN JAZZ FESTIVAL STARTS ON MARCH 5TH
32ND IZMIR EUROPEAN JAZZ FESTIVAL STARTS ON MARCH 5TH
The 32nd Izmir European Jazz Festival, organized by the Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education (IKSEV), will take place between 05-24 March 2025.
The Festival, which will be held in cooperation with Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Institut français Turkey - Izmir, Goethe Institute Izmir, Honorary Consulate of Switzerland in Izmir and Consulate of Italy in Izmir, will start with the “Crossing Bosporus Trio” concert on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at AASSM Grand Hall.
Music Connecting Continents
Burhan Öçal (percussion), Heiri Känzig (double bass) and Alex Wilson (piano/keyboards), three extraordinary musicians who found each other, courageously and tastefully explore their boundaries and build a musical bridge across the Bosphorus with inspiration from three cultures. Crossing Bosporus Trio's concert will start at 20.30. There will be a short opening ceremony before the concert.
Un Poco Loco Trio at the Peak of Improvisation
The second concert of the 32nd Izmir European Jazz Festival will be held on Friday, March 7, 2025 at the AASSM Small Hall in collaboration with Institut français Turkey - Izmir. Un Poco Loco Trio, consisting of Fidel Fourneyron (trombone), Geoffroy Gesser (saxophone, clarinet), Sébastien Béliah (double bass), will reinterpret the bebop repertoire of the 1940s and 50s by adding an exotic obscurity. Loco has released 2 albums and performed nearly 100 concerts in Europe and beyond.
Jazz Music in Cartoons
On Monday, March 10, 2025 between 16.00 - 18.00, a workshop for children will be held at İKSEV. The Jazz Music in Cartoons Workshop will be led by Engin Çetinkaya, who works as a visual arts teacher at Narlıdere Science and Art Center. The workshop will last for two hours with children between the ages of 8-13 and will be limited to 30 people.
Next up will be “Jazz Pianists”
“Musical Conversations”, the most popular traditional event of Izmir European Jazz Festivals, will be held this year on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 19.00 at İKSEV.Ümit Tunçağ, who “knows everything about jazz”, will introduce “Jazz Pianists”.
The conversation with two well-known jazz masters, pianist Zafer Çebi and bassist Nezih Yeşilnil, will be one of the most colorful events of the Festival.
Greek Melodies in Jazz
The 32nd Izmir European Jazz Festival will continue on Friday, March 14, 2025 at the AASSM Small Hall with the Athina Kontou & Mother concert in collaboration with Izmir Goethe Institute. Like all the other concerts, the concert will start at 20.30. German-Greek bassist Athina Kontou will present a lively, colorful musical experience with her three musician friends Luise Volkmann, Dominik Mahnig and Lucas Leidinger with her music that connects different cultures, crosses borders between music, is deeply connected to tradition and personal experience, and at the same time is based on the search for new forms of expression.
Together with Young People
Athina Kontou, Luise Volkmann, Dominik Mahnig and Lucas Leidinger will hold a workshop with young jazz musicians on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 11:00 at İKSEV.
Arbenz, Mehar, Veras Together
Florian Arbenz, one of Europe's most versatile and successful drummers, who has a unique jazz experience with Switzerland's acclaimed Vein Trio, is back at Izmir European Jazz Festival. Arbenz will perform with Nelson Veras (guitar) and Hermon Mehari (trumpet) on Monday, March 17, 2025 at the AASSM Great Hall. Arbenz, Mehari and Veras will mesmerize the audience with their unique styles at the concert, which will be held in cooperation with the Honorary Consulate of Switzerland in Izmir.
Human or Artificial Intelligence?
The 32nd Izmir European Jazz Festival will host an interesting workshop on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Starting at 10.00 am at İKSEV, 'Monogram Design: Human or Artificial Intelligence?', Prof. Dr. Hakan Ertep will question the presence of artificial intelligence in our lives and design through 'Logotype Design' or 'Monogram', which is defined as the process of creating visual symbols using typefaces.The workshop is free to attend and application can be made via info@iksev.org.
Gastronomy of Jazz
Nedim Atilla, who defines himself as “Journalist, writer, traveler, swimmer, lover of the earth, lover of the palate...”, culinary researcher and unforgettable contributor to Izmir and Anatolian cuisine, will attend Izmir European Jazz Festival with an unforgettable interview. On Friday, March 21, 2025 at 19.00, “Gastronomy of Jazz” will be discussed at İKSEV.
Closing by Last Land Band
The 32nd Izmir European Jazz Festival will end on Monday, March 24, 2025 with the Paolo Damiani Last Land Band concert in collaboration with the Italian Consulate in Izmir.Paolo Damiani (double bass), Elena Paparusso (vocals) and
Antonio Jasevoli (guitar) will present their new project with a repertoire balanced between jazz and pop.
Write Stuff
Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education (İKSEV) will organize a “Write Stuff” workshop for journalism students on jazz writing as part of the 32nd Izmir European Jazz Festival to be held between March 5 - 24, 2025.
The workshop will be conducted by Ümit Tuncağ, one of the best in this field in Turkey, and journalist Sirel Ekşi.For application:
Sirel Ekşi, sirel.eksi@gmail.com. 532 274 89 17
22nd Jazz Poster Exhibition
The “22nd Jazz Poster Contest” organized by the Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education (İKSEV) was won by the trilogy of Kenan Yiğit, a student of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Graphic Design.Thirty-one posters were deemed worthy of exhibition among the 308 posters that participated in the contest.
The selection committee also decided to exhibit the works of 27 students attending Narlıdere Science and Art Center, ranging in age from 8 to 13. Among these posters, the works of Alya Ada Nizamoğlu (11), Duru Aydın (9) and Zeynep Turan (13) were deemed worthy of the “Selection Committee Incentive Award”.
The 27 posters that participated in the competition under the title Jazz through the Eyes of a Child and the 31 posters that won the exhibition will be exhibited in the AASSM Lower Hall during the festival.
Ticket Sales
Tickets for the 32nd Izmir European Jazz Festival went on sale on Monday, March 17, 2025 at Biletix box offices, online and at AASSM Main Box Office.
