Following the successful launch of the concert series "NICA exchange" in cooperation between NICA artist development and Cologne Jazzweek as part of the 2022 festival edition and its establishment as a regular feature of the Stadtgarten Cologne, the collaboration will be continued and three concerts will be presented as part of this year's festival under the title "NICA exchange x CJW".
NICA exchange enables up-and-coming national and international musicians, particularly from the fields of jazz and improvised music, to play on the stages of the Cologne festival. The main focus of the concert series is to create spaces of exchange for a young, experimental generation of musicians, to encourage sustainable networking and creative exchange and, in the context of the festival, to initiate a connection with an audience eager to discover new spaces in music.
The musicians and bands for NICA exchange are selected in collaboration with NICA partner organisations. Past collaborations have included BIMHUIS Amsterdam, RAUW Festival Rotterdam, JazzLab Belgium, INTL Jazzplatform Poland, AJC Jazz France and We Jazz from Helsinki.
This year NICA artist development is very excited to collaborate with Jazzfestival Saalfelden and Jazzwerkstatt Bern for two concerts at club JAKI and the open-air stage Green Room on the evening of 4th September at Stadtgarten Cologne.
A third concert will take place in the concert hall: The premiere of Seeds of Sweat a programme composed by NICA artist Theresia Philipp. The Cologne-based saxophonist, clarinettist and composer takes a stance through her musical work, so it is only logical for her to use the commissioned composition awarded in cooperation with NICA artist development and Cologne Jazzweek 2024 to premiere pieces with a new sextet formed for the occasion. Philipp's compositions, inspired by the work and lyrics of FLINTA* people as well as her own lyrics, are a powerful tribute to those who fight for freedom and equality.
But not only NICA exchange x Cologne Jazzweek taking their third round together is a cause for celebration: The 4th of September marks the opening of the concert hall of Stadtgarten Cologne 38 years ago – a milestone for the history of Jazz in Cologne, Germany and beyond.
