Jazz Artist Contest
RIGA JAZZ STAGE
Jazz Artist Contest
RIGA JAZZ STAGE
Jazz Artist Contest
RIGA JAZZ STAGE
2022 was a productive jazz year for Riga. From April 7 to 9, the Splendid Palace cinema hosted the largest international competition of jazz artists Riga Jazz Stage so far, from June 29 to July 2 - the International Improvisation, Jazz and Global Music Festival Rīgas Ritmi, but in autumn concerts of its Art of Riga Jazz concert series were held as well.
The international jazz artists competition Riga Jazz Stage 2023 planned for next April, in which young jazz artists vocalists and saxophonists should have participated this time, has been cancelled.
Baltic Jazz Trio is a collaboration of three outstanding jazz artists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – Toivo Unt, Māris Briežkalns and Dainius Pulauskas accordingly. They will perform on October 15 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, USA, and on October 14 at Organization of American States hall as well to celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Baltic countries.
The autumn concert series Art of Riga Jazz of the international improvisation, jazz and global music festival Rīgas Ritmi will take place in November and December this year, where Spanish singer and trombonist Rita Payés, world-famous American bass guitarist Richard Bona together with Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, and the Italian new jazz band XY Quartet will delight lovers of high-quality jazz.
Louise Balkwill won first prize in the vocalist category of Riga Jazz Stage 2022 and will debut in Ronnie Scott’s club on 11th of September because of the special price in the contest.
The 22nd international improvisation, jazz and global music festival Rīgas Ritmi has ended. It took place in several places of the Latvian capital from June 29 to July 2, when the jazz greats Modern Standards Supergroup, the global music group Ayom from Portugal, the American singer Clark Beckham, the Latvian jazz-funk group Very Cool People with singer Paula Saija, British singer, multi-instrumentalist Xantoné Blacq and other colorful artists performed.
This year, three laureates of the international jazz artist competition Riga Jazz Stage 2022 – American drummer Domo Branch, Italian singer Valentina Fin and Latvian singer Paula Saija will also perform at the 22nd International Festival of Improvisation, Jazz and Global Music Rīgas Ritmi.
The program of the 22nd International Festival of Improvisation, Jazz and Global Music Rīgas Ritmi has been announced. The festival will take place from June 30 to July 2, when the jazz grand supergroup Modern Standards Supergroup with Billy Cobham, Randy Brecker and Bill Evans, the global music band Ayom from Portugal, American singer Clark Beckham, the Latvian band Very Cool People with singer Paula Saija, British singer, multi-instrumentalist Xantoné Blacq and other artists will perform. Ticket sales have also started.
With an open-minded masterclass in the morning and a great performance by American singer and drummer Jamison Ross’ Organ Trio in the evening of April 9 at cinema Splendid Palace ended an international jazz artists’ competition Riga Jazz Stage 2022. The winners of the competition were announced before the concert by artist-in-residence and an international jury member as well.
Seven singers have entered the list of the 13 best finalists selected by the international jury: Karīna Laugale, Katrīna Kabiņecka and Paula Saija from Latvia, Amanda Becker from Germany, Louise Balkwill from the United Kingdom, Eylul Ergul from Turkey and Valentina Fin from Italy, as well as six drummers: Mareks Logins and Pauls Pokratnieks from Latvia, Matias Fischer-Mogensen from Denmark, Yannick Ballmann from Belgium, Giovanni Paolo Liguori from Italy and Domo Branch from the USA. They will perform tonight on April 8 at the Splendid Palace Cinema.