EU@DCJazzFest

Top jazz musicians from across Europe take the stage in two special performance series starting in September at DC Jazz Fest and at European embassies around the nation’s capital, celebrating America’s 250^th anniversary and the power of jazz to bring people together across borders and cultures.

Czech Jazz trio SAKOBI opens the DC Jazz Festival’s “mini-fest” of European jazz at the Pearl Street Warehouse (33 Pearl Street SW, Washington, DC) on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 PM with original music from their two albums, mingling traditional jazz with African American styles and influences from Moravian folks music. The music continues Sunday, Sept. 6, 4:30 PM, on Union Stage at the Wharf (740 Water Street SW, Washington, DC) with the improvisation and layered sounds of Swedish composer and flutist Elsa Nilsson, and the jazz piano of Domas Žeromskas at 6:30 PM. Lisbon-born saxophonist Ricard Toscano concludes the series at the Pearl Street Warehouse on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 PM, performing alongside who performs alongside American pianist Kevin Hays.

European embassies throughout Washington will host European jazz performances in autumn and into the spring, starting Sept. 4 with a public concert at the Residence of the French Ambassador and the intimate vocals of French singer Laura Anglade. Spanish jazz trumpeter Andrea Motis performs publicly Nov. 6 at the Spanish Cultural Center. French pianist and composer Paul Lay plays at the MLK Libaray on April 30^th, 2027, at the conclusion of the series. 

Richard Toscano returns to Washington Sept. 15^th for a special private performance at the Portuguese Ambassador’s residence. Slovenian saxophonist, band leader and composer Jan Kus also gives a private concert at the Slovenian Embassy on Sept. 30^th, while Swedish jazz pianist Ebba Dankel takes the stage Nov. 10 in a private concert at the House of Sweden.

"Jazz speaks in a language every human heart understands,” EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupšienė said. “When jazz musicians first brought their distinct sound across the Atlantic, they found in Europe more than an audience. They found collaboration and inspiration. The performances in these series carry forward that same spirit of artistic exchange today."

For tickets, visit dcjazzfest.org.