One of the largest Jazz conferences will be held on Forum

After hosting a remarkable edition of International Jazz Day in 2018, Russian jazz world continues its intensive growth with the III International Jazz Across Borders (JAB) Forum & Festival — one of the biggest European jazz conferences which will be held in St. Petersburg on November 15–16, 2019.

This year JAB will feature a special collaboration with European Jazz Network and top speakers of jazz music and business:trumpeter Till Brönner, founder of jAB and IBMG, saxophonist and advocate of Russian jazz art Igor Butman, executive director of Nasjonal jazzscene and Presidentof EJN Jan-Ole Otnæs, artistic director of Porgy&Bess club Christoph Huber, director of Reykjavik Jazz Festival Sunna Gunlaugs, founder of Jazz Fest Sarajevo and curator of Ljubljana Jazz Festival Edin Zubcevic, executive director of Tampere Jazz Festivals Minnakaisa Kuivalainen, head of DL Media Don Lucoff and many more. An intense business and educational program, a wide range of showcases and club performances and a spectacular JAB Gala — Jazz Across Borders Forum & Festival remains a perfect place for networking, exploring Russian jazz business and art as well as bringing your music to a huge Russian jazz market!

Registration for participants is running till November 10, 2019, applications for showcase program are admitted till October 7, 2019, JAB Showcase program will be announced on October 15, 2019. Special rates for participants are valid only till October 1, 2019 — detailed information is available at the link.

The III International Jazz Across Borders Forum & Festival will be held as part of the VIII St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum on November 15 & 16, 2019 at Freedom space (Kazanskaya street, 7) and Big Hall of St. Petersburg Philharmonia (Mikhailovskaya street, 2). 

Jazz Across Borders (JAB) is the first and only professional platform in Russia designed to assemble international and Russian jazz community representatives.

The first Jazz Across Borders Forum & Festival which was held in 2017 at the VI St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum became the biggest meeting of Russian jazz professionals ever, and was voted the Jazz event of the year by the Russian union of music journalists. In the past two years Jazz Across Borders has evolved into a jazz powerhouse, bringing together more than 2000 jazz industry professionals and jazz community members from all over Russia and 32 other countries.

In 2017 and 2018 JAB’s business and educational programs featured Grammy winning vocalists — Kurt Elling and Patti Austin, senior vice president of Berklee College of Music Larry Simpson, president of Blue Note Entertainment Group Steven Bensusan, program director of North Sea Jazz Festival Frank Bolder, producer of Winter Jazz Festival Adam Schatz, Ronnie Scott’s Club managing director Simon Cooke, founder and producer of Java Jazz Festival Peter F. Gontha, founder and producer of Umbria Jazz Festival Carlo Pagnotta, Editor-in-Chief of JazzTimes Lee C. Mergner, head of Depth of Field Management Darryl Pitt, founder and producer of Jarasum International Jazz Festival Jae Jin In and many others. 

More than 50 diverse events usually take place within JAB program: lectures, round tables, discussions, seminars, workshops, showcases, concert programs at legendary jazz clubs of the city and a Gala concert!

The JAB 2019 program consists of:

JAB Conference. A program targeted on jazz industry professionals but open to all participants, a place where music business pros discuss problems and trends of the industry, development opportunities, and share their experience in promoting international jazz artists in Russia and Russian artists abroad, organizing tours in Russia, and many other aspects.

  • JAB Conference.A program targeted on jazz industry professionals but open to all participants, a place where music business pros discuss problems and trends of the industry, development opportunities, and share their experience in promoting international jazz artists in Russia and Russian artists abroad, organizing tours in Russia, and many other aspects;
  • JAB Showcase.A program which gives jazz performers from all over the world an opportunity to present their music to a wide circle of Russian and international music industry professionals (promoters, program directors of festivals, club programmers, record label representatives, media members, etc);
  • JAB Clubnight. A late-night music program at the most famous jazz clubs of St. Petersburg.

And also…

  • JAB Workshops. Workshops for musicians – a unique opportunity to learn from the leading jazzmen;
  • JAB Pitching. A platform to present festivals, concert series and jazz startups for potential sponsors and investors;
  • JAB Speed Meetings. An opportunity to meet a big number of jazz professionals from Russia and all over the world face-to-face;
  • JAB Gala. JAB Gala is a concert featuring Russian and international jazz stars at the world famous Big Hall of St Petersburg Philharmonia.

You can register as a JAB participant online by clicking link.