Copenhagen Jazz Festival Fonden is the organizer of the two annual jazz festivals Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Vinterjazz and live jazz all year round in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen Jazz Festival Fonden is a foundation serving the purpose of producing an annual international jazz festival in Copenhagen and thereby contribute to the development and strengthening of the Danish jazz scene. In addition to booking and producing 120 annual concerts the foundation is responsible for the marketing of the two festivals. The foundation works non-profit – should it generate a surplus one year, the surplus will be spent according to the purpose and invested in the following year’s festivals.
Kenneth Hansen → kenneth@jazz.dk
Festival Manager
Jakob Drong → jakob@jazz.dk
Booking Coordinator
Simon Christensen → simon@jazz.dk
Communications Manager
Kasper Stougaard → kasper@jazz.dk
Communications Officer
Maja Schicker → frivllig@jazz.dk
Volunteer Coordinator
Henrik Tvarnø (chairman)
Lars Bertolt Winther (vice chair)
Trine Nielsen
Kristina Holgersen
Sama Sadat Ben Haddou
Michael Falk Marino
Copenhagen Jazz Festival
– The festival has existed in its present form since 1979.
– The festival features around 1,200 concerts at around 120 venues.
– The concerts takes place at clubs, cafes, bars, concert halls and open-air stages in the city’s parks and squares and along the harbour front.
– Besides the concerts acquiring entry fees the festival features a great number of free concerts.
– The majority of concerts have available ticket links here at Jazz.dk. In addition, most venues will offer tickets at the door if available.
– The programme is available in print, as an app and at Jazz.dk
– The festival engages more than 200 volunteers.
Visitors
– During the course of the 10 days the total audience numbers to more than 250,000 people.
– The visitors are divided evenly among the age groups 0-35 years, 36-55 years and 56 years or older.
– Nine out of teen visitors are Danish. The foreign visitors are primarily Swedish, Norwegian, German, British and American.
– Copenhagen Jazz Festival generates approximately 80 million Danish kroner in revenue for the city of Copenhagen (Source: Wonderful Copenhagen, Nov. 2011)
Vinterjazz
– Established in 2001
– 150 venues from all over Denmark
– A total of 600 concerts during three weeks
Every single summer since 1979 Copenhagen Jazz Festival has been taking over Copenhagen as one of Europe’s most important international music events based on eminent artistic quality and a sharp focus on new departures in both Danish and international jazz. The festival envelops the Danish capital, offering a sumptuous musical feast to the 250.000 guests who join us year after year. Enjoying live jazz on the city’s streets, in its clubs, cafés and concert halls, and at open-air night venues – all in the very heart of historical Copenhagen.
Copenhagen’s legendary status as one of the jazz capitals of Europe grew in the 1950s and 1960s, when a whole host of leading American jazz icons had their creative base in the city. Among those who have called Copenhagen home are Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Stuff Smith, Ed Thigpen, Thad Jones and Kenny Drew. Each and every one of them has drawn inspiration from Denmark’s jazz scene and the era’s most important jazz club: Jazzhus Montmartre. This was also the time when some of Denmark’s best musicians had their international breakthrough, musicians like Alex Riel, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Palle Mikkelborg.
Copenhagen’s unique jazz history is a key factor in the exceptionally high level of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, something that can be experienced at the many free open-air stages strategically located throughout the historical city centre. Together with Copenhagen’s record number of cafés and music venues, these stages create a unique atmosphere, bringing the city alive with jazz from early morning to late at night. People don’t only come for a fantastic musical experience, but for the unique atmosphere throughout Copenhagen when jazz takes over the city.
The festival audience can listen to top international jazz names at the stunning Royal Theatre, Copenhagen’s Opera House and Jean Nouvel’s architectural world-class Koncerthus – as well as along the harbour front, where they can take a dip in the clear waters to the sound of Danish and international jazz. Copenhagen Jazz Festival also proudly presents music at the border of jazz and other genres as part of the programme ‘Something Else’. And everyone’s welcome to take their kids to the beautiful parks to the east of the city where thousand of children and their parents flock every summer to enjoy a packed programme of live jazz, circus, painting workshops and singing – all part of the ‘Jazz for Kids’ festival programme.
Copenhagen Jazz Festival takes a pride in reaching many – and new – audiences, with tailor-made programmes for pensioners and teenagers, kids and their families, as well as catering for jazz aficionados and enthusiasts. Visitors can look forward to Copenhagen as a friendly and creative city where it’s safe to wander around accompanied by jazz night and day. A modern and open-minded metropolis that can be experienced at its very best during Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
Vinterjazz is a nationwide music festival that takes place in February each year. The festival spans three weeks featuring more than 600 concerts, 150 venues and independent organizers from all across Denmark – from Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense and Esbjerg to the historic jazz capital of Copenhagen. The combination of the festival’s length and the countrywide aspect makes Vinterjazz an opportunity to meet international stars on tour, new Danish award-winning projects and curated concert themes.
What makes Vinterjazz a special music event is, that it is a national collaboration between venues and organizers, musicians and audience, the big cities and the outskirts of Denmark – a national initiative created and taking place locally. For instance, when Vinterjazz presents a series of concerts in cities like Sorø, Silkeborg, Lemvig and Sønderborg which are organized by local non-profit communities, or when Vinterjazz move into the new concert halls of Musikkens Hus in Aalborg, DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen or Kulturværftet in Helsingør, which offer some of the festival’s biggest stars.
Vinterjazz is first and foremost a club festival that kick-starts the season for the many Danish jazz clubs that create an environment where jazz can develop and live year round. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that Vinterjazz this year sets a new record with more than 100 venues. Especially we would like to welcome you to the many new venues in the programme.
“Vinterjazz brings attention to jazz. It has the same function as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in the summer. It creates a curiosity, interest of the media and increased public awareness of a genre that besides a few big names have paradoxically low audience numbers compared to the vast pool of talent it contains. The music thrives as a result of [the festival’s] understanding of how to get the audience and the press to talk. Not just in the summer in Copenhagen, but also across the country in February, during Vinterjazz.” (Thomas Michelsen, music editor of Politiken)
“Vinterjazz is a potluck, created by jazz clubs and touring musicians during the festival. The more places are participating outside of Copenhagen, the closer it gets between the Vinterjazz activities, so there is still room for more active players and organizers in the country’s remote areas. Vinterjazz aims to focus on the Danish jazz and in particular, on the dedicated venues, independent organizers and jazz associations around the country, and we do this by kick-starting the season and creating a festival feeling among the audience, venues and musicians, “(Kenneth Hansen, festival director of Vinterjazz and Copenhagen Jazz Festival)
