Applications for Istanbul Jazz Festival's Young Jazz Concerts series start
Young musicians can participate in auditions with jazz songs along with demos in blues, funk and soul.


The 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival, to be held by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) between June 27 and July 14, invites young jazz musicians to participate in the festival one more time. Applications for the festival's Young Jazz concert series, to be held for the 18th time this year, have started as part of the Istanbul Jazz Festival under the sponsorship of Garanti BBVA. Young Jazz offers a platform where young musicians and ensembles who are interested in music as amateurs or semi-professionals in Turkey to take part in the festival program. The festival aims to encourage young musicians who are interested in jazz and the like and prepare them for the professional music world.

Young musicians can participate in the auditions with their works in classical or contemporary jazz genres, as well as their demos in blues, funk, soul or jazz interactive local music and similar styles. The repertoire may consist of the candidates' own unique compositions, as well as their interpretations of jazz standards or other pieces. Musicians who have never released a professional album before and ensembles whose musicians are under the age of 30 are eligible to apply for the Young Jazz. Following the applications, a total of 10 ensembles will be chosen by the Young Jazz Selection Committee on May 5, and they will be invited to the public evaluation concerts at the İKSV on May 10.

During the evaluation concerts, the selection committee will watch the 15-minute-long live performances of bands and determine the musicians who will take part in the 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival. Winners will be eligible to take part in free Youth Jazz Concerts, which will be held as part of the festival's Jazz Event in the Parks, which is also on schedule this year. They will also be featured among the festival's artists in the festival booklet and on the festival's official website.

Musicians and ensembles wishing to participate in the Young Jazz can apply by filling the online application form on http://genccaz.iksv.org/. Those who want to participate can send the application form along with the link containing the files until Monday, Apr. 27 at the latest.