Photo: Riga Jazz Stage 2017 winner Shenel Johns, who will be offering a special song program by Latvian music icon Raimonds Pauls at the Rigas Ritmi Festival this July.

The organizers of the competition express their gratitude to all the unquestionably talented musicians who applied for the Riga Jazz Stage 2022. After all the submitted material has been collected, the public profiles of the contestants have been opened on the competition website rigajazz.lv, where you can find out a short biography of them, as well as listen to and view excerpts of their recordings.

The first concert of the Riga Jazz Stage competition, featuring Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, American, British, German, Italian, Belgian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Turkish and South Korean artists, will take place on April 7, but the most recognized participants will perform in final on April 8.

Performers in both categories Jazz vocals and Jazz drums will be accompanied by Riga Jazz Quartet.

"Riga Jazz Stage" has become an annual jazz festival, which delivers great music to the contestants and concert goers alike. All the while, some truly high-profile yet unexplored jazz talents shine in full glory, but one of the existing international stars is performing at the gala concert.

As is known, this year's special guest at the gala concert on April 9 will be Grammy nominee, winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk competition, composer, singer and drummer Jamison Ross from the USA, who will give a master class in Riga and take part in the jury.

Contestants will be judged by an international jury - artistic director of the competition Māris Briežkalns, artistic director of Nõmme Jazz Festival Toivo Unt (Estonia), director of Kaunas Jazz Festival Jonas Jučas (Lithuania), artistic director of Venice Jazz Festival Giuseppe Mormile (Italy), concert coordinator at London's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Paul Pace (UK), director of booking agency Just Jazz International Catherine Mayer (Germany) and artistic director of Istanbul's Nardis Jazz Club Önder Focan (Turkey). The jury's honorary representative will be Latvian music icon Raimonds Pauls, who will present his special prize, which this time will be a new hit recording at Latvian Radio 1 studio, with Raimonds Pauls as co-producer.

The event is organized by the foundation Mūsdienu mūzikas centrs (Modern Music Center), supported by Riga City Council, VKKF, Tele 2,  A&T Music..