Eight days before the festival officially begins, we’re kicking off our anniversary edition with a special WARM UP concert: "unknown to both of us" brings together musicians from the jazz scenes in Leipzig and Paris for the first time in this constellation.
The idea? To develop a shared "common ground"—a space where new forms of musical communication can emerge.
An anniversary within an anniversary: 60 years of apocalyptic introspection. The most significant free-jazz orchestra in European experimental music returns to our festival! Initially dismissed as nonsense and met with ridicule, the ensemble quickly attracted international attention and became a springboard for some of its future star musicians.
Guitar artistry at its finest: Ella Feingold and Charlie Hunter blend soul, funk, and jazz into a musical universe that is as virtuosic as it is laid-back. When Ella Feingold first saw Charlie Hunter perform live in the late 1990s, a collaboration between them seemed unthinkable. Today, they are an acclaimed duo whose joint album has captivated music legends from around the world.
Guided tours to mark the launch of the audio walk on October 8, 2026—at a leisurely pace and with support from ADFC Leipzig, we’ll explore the six listening stations by bike! Just join us and rediscover Leipzig’s jazz history on two wheels! Advance registration required.
Guided tours to mark the launch of the audio walk on October 8, 2026—at a leisurely pace and with support from ADFC Leipzig, we’ll explore the six listening stations by bike! Just join us and rediscover Leipzig’s jazz history on two wheels! Advance registration required.
Collaboration with the South Tyrol Jazz Festival – Laura Zöschg developed the band Loaness from her intuitive solo project “LOA.” Together with Chiara Chistè, Yvonne Moriel, and Ruth Goller, the South Tyrolean/Copenhagen-based composer and vocal artist musically explores the tension between loneliness and community.
Icelandic artists embodying a continuity that never grows stale. An all-encompassing ritual that transcends genre boundaries
The first encounter of the versatile sound and keyboard artists from Gdańsk and Leipzig: a German-Polish collaboration.
A classical vocal ensemble from Leipzig joins forces with a Munich-based chamber pop duo—a new concert program for six female voices and electronics at the intersection of avant-garde, pop, and neo-baroque.
A Brazilian duo based in Cologne: percussion as a medium of communication and collective memory—a live performance that combines ritual, improvisation, and technological experimentation, opening up new forms of transmedia sound art.
As part of a German-Polish collaboration, the Polish trio AJAKS will join forces with Tara Sarter and Fridolin Krön from the Leipzig and Weimar music scenes. AJAKS brings its own musical perspective to the table—but on this “first date,” it remains to be seen where this initial encounter on stage will lead.
The trombone icon of the festival’s first generation meets sophisticated percussion perfection and Finnish-Berlin-style guitar virtuosity—a summit of improvised music.
A new project by the New York bassist featuring a top-notch lineup: popular Latin American influences, polyrhythms, microtonality, and the absence of an overarching concept. What’s left? A complex feeling designed to get people dancing.
As part of a German-Polish collaboration, the Polish trio AJAKS will join forces with Tara Sarter and Fridolin Krön from the Leipzig and Weimar music scenes. AJAKS brings its own musical perspective to the table—but on this “first date,” it remains to be seen where this initial encounter on stage will lead.
In our "Talk & Music" series, Julia Hemmerling from MDR Kultur moderates a discussion on music journalism in the GDR and the post-reunification era. The conversation covers restricted access, creative freedom, the importance of radio, and how music from the West was handled. Personal experiences, anecdotes, and favorite songs bring this eventful history of media and music to life.
The “most provocative thinker in contemporary jazz” is coming to Leipzig! On his latest album, Moran pays homage to the “Duke” and demonstrates why he is celebrated worldwide as one of the most important voices in contemporary jazz.
With the floating—and often melancholic—sound of the pedal steel guitar, Luke Bergman tells stories that find a unique resonance during his Leipzig debut in the nocturnal atmosphere of the “ Thomaskirche .”
The Oracle for the Festival Anniversary! Within historic walls, acoustic premonitions take shape on the tape machine. Using field recordings, collages, and radical sound manipulation, Lea Bertucci creates immersive soundscapes.
The Boomslang Records listening session at Vary, our favorite record store, is all about listening together, discovering new music, and sharing thoughts. Amid improvised jazz, experimental sounds, and cross-genre music, a browse through the record shelves is a must—after all, you’re sure to find a Boomslang release or two there.
Jazz icon Norma Winstone and exceptional pianist Kit Downes demonstrate just how inspiring a 45-year age difference can sound: With curiosity, a willingness to be intimate, and great musical openness, they create a moving dialogue between the generations.
To celebrate his 75th birthday, guitar legend Bill Frisell is embarking on a major birthday tour. With his unmistakable sound, he has left his mark on music history and continues to thrill audiences to this day. For the concert at the Schauspiel Leipzig, Frisell will be joined on stage by two like-minded collaborators: Luke Bergman and Tim Angulo.
"Dramatic, empathetic, and lyrical": this unbridled quartet stirs our hearts and ears with a new program and a special guest.
GEZA COTARD combines precise electronics, complex rhythms, and shimmering arpeggios into a driving sound that the duo affectionately calls “Angstpop.” “SOUND OF LEIPZIGER” is a collaboration with the Leipzig-based group, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and brings in submitted sounds from the city that the duo incorporates into their concert.
In collaboration with WERK 2—inspired by the energy of Black musical traditions and her own life journey—Sorvina blends jazz rap, neo-soul, gospel, and alternative hip-hop. Her songs explore self-discovery, queerness, healing, and a love of life, all carried by a voice that is unmistakably her own.
Collaboration with WERK 2 – If you’re in the mood to keep dancing right after Sorvina’s concert, Sarah Farina’s DJ set is the perfect place to be. This DJ thinks in terms of neither genres nor boundaries. Her sets blend bass-driven frequencies with futuristic beats: bass music, breaks, jungle. Elements drawn from the hardcore continuum fuse with influences from early releases by artists such as Missy Elliott, Aphex Twin, and J Dilla to create something entirely unique, which Sarah Farina herself calls “RainbowBass.”
GEZA COTARD combines precise electronics, complex rhythms, and shimmering arpeggios into a driving sound that the duo affectionately calls “Angstpop.” “SOUND OF LEIPZIGER” is a collaboration with the Leipzig-based group, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and brings in submitted sounds from the city that the duo incorporates into their concert.
Complex, physical, uncompromising: The Reza Askari ROAR Quintet blends avant-garde jazz with the raw acoustic power of punk and metal. You don’t have to understand the code "xAYb v8v dYAx"—you have to experience it.
For one evening, musicians from different scenes and musical backgrounds come together in ever-changing, one-of-a-kind combinations. The ensembles are put together spontaneously on the spot and each plays about 10–15 minutes of freely improvised music that draws its energy precisely from the unpredictability of the moment.
Robert Lucaciu—winner of the 2016 Leipzig Jazz Young Talent Award—invites you to “First Date”: Between falling and flying, closeness and distance, an open, vibrant soundscape emerges.
A groovy string quartet? The Alou String Quartet makes it happen—transforming jazz, improvisation, and contemporary chamber music into a distinctive urban sound. Featuring violinist Alma Gröning, this year’s recipient of the Marion Ermer Foundation’s Leipzig Jazz Young Talent Award.
With “Music is just wiggly air,” Jakob Obleser weaves his wide-ranging influences into a highly personal blend of groove, experimentation, and avant-garde—proving himself a worthy winner of the 2026 Leipzig Jazz Emerging Artist Award from the Marion Ermer Foundation.
Gospel Meets Post-Bop: Joel Ross is one of the most exciting vibraphonists of his generation. He will present his new album, "Gospel Music", at the Philippuskirche.
Film screening at the historic movie theater.
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