The 13th A to JazZ Festival will take place from July 4th to 7th
in the Bulgaria’s capital Sofia
Music Talks Conference and a World Music Showcase are part of the professional program this year
One of the most significant music festivals in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, A to JazZ will happen its 13th edition. The festival turns the city into an attractive place for musicians, music industry professionals and over 60,000 music lovers. The regular program includes more than 25 concerts (KNOWER, Kinga Glyk, Cyrille Aimée, David Helbock’s Austrian Syndicate, The McCoy Tyner Legends tribute project with Antoiono Farao, Chico Freeman, Steve Turre, Avery Sharpe and Ronnie Burrage and many more). The World Music Showcase, initiated last year in cooperation with UPBEAT-The European Platform for World Music, features 12 emerging artists from 10 countries. But the program doesn’t end there - jam sessions, DJ stage, art-bazaar of Bulgarian handicrafts (accessories, books and works of art), children’s educational program A to JazZ Kids, workshops, sports events and musical yoga.
“We have increased the number of the showcase slots with 50%, due to high interest from the artists and our delegates. The artist selection this year is brilliant, thanks to the hard work of our jury Roel Vanhoeck, Arlette Hovinga, Tineke Codron and Marija Vitas. They selected 12 bands from over 150 applications.”, A to JazZ director Peter Dimitrov said.
Music Talks Conference is a music conference, part of A to Jazz’s professional program. Established in 2018, it aims to support the work, development and international professional network of artists, promoters, festival organizers, cultural organizations, institutions and music industry professionals from Bulgaria, the Balkan region and Europe. Festivals & The Cities is the main title of the conference, including panels related to the economic, social and cultural impact, internationalization and marketing of the festivals, the green transformation of the cultural events, urban policies for open air events and night life economy and more. Among the panelists are dr. Beatriz Garcia (culture policy, cities and major-events expert), Azucena Mico (Sound Diplomacy), Marta Pallares (Primavera Sound), Eriz Ritz (Coachella), Lisa Nasta (Glastonbury), Nikki McNeil (Global Publicity), Spiros Pengas (former deputy mayor of Thessaloniki), Ed Walch (Easol), Gwendolen Sharp (The Green Room) and more.
A to JazZ Festival is a member of European Jazz Network, Yourope – European Festival Association and UPBEAT – The European Showcase Platform for World Music. The festival is supported by the Sofia Municipality – Calendar of Cultural Events and Culture Program, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria and National Cultural Fund of Bulgaria.
