Against all odds, we were able to successfully host our Jazz Weekender in August 2020. This year, we are heading towards more “normal” conditions, even though the exact meaning of “normal” remains to be determined. Since we do not know what kind of governmental safety regulations will be in place in the summer, we have yet to decide on the exact set-up of the festival, specifically our sitting and standing room capacities at different venues. That is why ticket sales still remain on hold. What’s certain is that the 41st Jazzfestival Saalfelden will take place from August 16 to 22, 2021. On Monday, we will kick off the festival with musical hikes, concerts in the mountains, and evening performances at Kunsthaus Nexus. Starting on Thursday, we will launch the Short Cuts concert series at the Nexus. Concurrently, musical encounters will take place at the Fuchs Bookbindery. Our city park will turn into an outdoor stage and meeting place for international and local visitors. From Friday to Sunday, national and international bands will take the main stage at the Saalfelden Conference Center. We are looking forward to welcoming audiences to about 60 concerts featuring Anna Högberg, Angelika Niescier, the Kaja Draksler Octet, and Chuffdrone. Other highlights include artist-in-residence Christian Reiner performing five of his projects and KUU! and Edi Nulz presenting their new albums. Our program also features The True Harry Nulz, Dell/Lillinger/Westergaard, Katharina Ernst, Alexander Hawkins, GeoGeMa, Dsilton, Punkt.Vrt.Plastik, AHL6, and many more. This year’s visual leitmotif was created by Salzburg artist Gottfried Goiginger. The leitmotif of the dense jungle reflects the versatility of improvised music and the jazz genre. It is that fertile soil from which something new keeps growing and coming into contact with each other.
In the hope that we would be able to host our "3 Days of Jazz" festival, we postponed it to March. Unfortunately, the current Covid19 situation does not allow us to plan with any certainty: the number of infections in Austria is still very high and we consider the chances of being able to attend cultural events again in March to be extremely low. We don't want to make the artists or the audience wait any longer before making a decision - and we as organisers also need a certain degree of planning security, which is simply not to be expected in the next few weeks. For this reason, it is with a heavy heart that we have decided to cancel this year's edition of our winter festival. All ticket buyers who have already purchased concert tickets will of course receive a 100% refund. Information on this will be sent to all ticket purchasers by e-mail shortly. Nevertheless, we want to spread confidence and optimism for the summer and let you know that we are already planning the 41st Jazz Festival Saalfelden in August 2021. You will receive more information in spring. Stay safe and we will see you in summer!
Dear media representatives, dear friends of jazz! Due to the current situation and the renewed lockdown in Austria, we unfortunately have to postpone the "3 Days of Jazz Festival" in Saalfelden Leogang. We hope that the situation will improve by the beginning of March and therefore plan the event for March 12 - 14, 2021. Currently we are in the process of clarifying the new date with all artists. You will find all the latest information about the program online at https://www.jazzsaalfelden.com/en/programm/3-days-of-jazz-2021 soon. Regardless, we take the current situation very seriously, which is why the concerts can only take place with very limited attendance. We will work out a comprehensive concept with our COVID19 representative, which will ensure the highest possible security for visitors, artists and staff. All ticket buyers who have already purchased concert tickets will receive information regarding refunds or rebooking for March 12-14, 2021 in the coming days. More importantly now, stay healthy everyone! We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are looking forward to listening to inspiring jazz music again in March.
Last summer’s Jazz Saalfelden Weekender taught us to stage live events while paying the utmost attention to our audience’s safety. Aware of the beneficial effects of music on the soul in times like these, we decided to not let January pass by unnoticed, but to face the future with confidence. Based on the current situation, we assume that the 3 Days of Jazz Festival will take place while we follow our rigorous safety protocol. Visitors can expect six concerts at Kunsthaus Nexus in Saalfelden and two concerts at the Mining and Gothic Museum in Leogang. In 2021, our January festival will foreground Austrian bands. After circumstances prevented the band Chuffdrone from presenting its new album last summer, it will get a chance to do so in January. Featuring Gerald Preinfalk, the GeoGeMa trio will also take to the stage as will the young band Victhamin. Two trios, Edi Nulz and The Great Harry Hillman, will perform in a powerful sextet as The True Harry Nulz project. The band AHL6 will present their album "Thinker Try to Dance". KUU will travel to the festival from Berlin and premiere songs from its new album, which will not be released until next summer. The band Gabbeh (Golnar Shahyar, Mona Matbou Riahi, and Manu Mayr) as well as the Akk:zent trio will give guest performances in the beautiful ambiance of the Mining and Gothic Museum. We are upbeat about the future and look forward to a beautiful and—in many ways—very special weekend of music in Saalfelden Leogang. Photo: KUU © Wolfgang_SIESING
After all artistic and cultural events were canceled for several months, we breathed a sigh of relief when COVID-19 measures were eased up at the end of May. We immediately decided to show the world that the Saalfelden Jazz Festival is alive and well. Heralding optimism and confidence, we set out to delight music enthusiasts with a weekend full of concerts. That’s how the idea for the Jazz Saalfelden Weekender was born. Even though our festival didn’t take its usual form with concerts occurring on the Congress Center’s main stage and on the big stage on the town square, we were still able to host happenings with music for everyone—from jazz to pop—from August 20-23, 2020. “After we were forced to cancel our original plans on April 17, we had to start from scratch at the end of May, after regulations related to COVID-19 were eased up,” states Wolfgang Hartl, Programming Saalfelden Jazz Festival. “Going back to the drawing board was easy, especially since the government of the province of Salzburg and the Federal Chancellor’s Office felt the need to support the cultural scene, which had already taken so many hits. After this long dry spell, we also wanted to offer live musical performances in Saalfelden Leogang again, with free admission. And besides, we could not have imagined a summer in Saalfelden without jazz.” The concerts took place in the city park, at Kunsthaus Nexus, at the Schloss Ritzen Museum and at the Ranch, on the roof terrace of the Congress Center and on mountain pastures, and at the legendary Fuchs bookbindery. For the first time in the festival’s history, the Saalfelden parish church also turned into a stage—with the kind permission of Father Alois Moser. Jazz greats such as Manu Delago and Lorenz Raab enchanted audiences at this special location. Additional highlights included musical walks on the sunny trails of Leogang’s Asitz mountain, where participants also enjoyed splendid views. On Friday and Saturday, Austrian musician Lukas Kranzelbinder—a regular at our festival—accompanied the hikes. Weekend guests included Mario Rom's Interzone; Training feat. Max Andrzejewski and Johnny Schleiermacher; Duo 4675 feat. Astrid & Beate Wiesinger; Fabian Rucker; Katharina Ernst; die Strottern & Blech; Voodoo Jürgens; Fuzzman; Mira Lu Kovacs; Cari Cari; Ankathie Koi; Neon and The Deons; and many more. Due to current travel restrictions, we were not able to bring musicians from all over the world to Saalfelden. “When designing the program for the Weekender, we wanted to be as inclusive as possible,” says Mario Steidl, the festival’s artistic director. “We wanted to spread joy and confidence at our festival and thus convey some sense of normalcy. Culture connects, and we are in dire need of connection right now. We therefore not only wanted to draw jazz fans, but also appeal to broader tastes and familiarize new audience members with jazz. That is why the stages at the Nexus and in the park featured jazz and pop artists in equal measure. Concerts at the bookbindery and the church clearly focused on jazz and improvised music, foregrounding musicians from Austria. In spite of the restrictions, we were able to invite some of the cream of the crop of the young Austrian jazz scene and provide a platform for them.” By spreading positivity, optimism, and joy through art, Saalfelden upheld its reputation as a city of music in the midst of the mountains in 2020. By imposing limits on audience numbers, the festival’s organizational team paid the utmost attention to safety protocols. “Together with our COVID-19 representative Markus Schwaiger from EcoService+ Consulting, we developed a comprehensive concept that guaranteed the highest degree of safety for visitors, artists, and employees at the performance venues,” explains Marco Pointner, the organizer of the Saalfelden Jazz Festival. “This year, we required visitors to register in advance for the concerts. We installed touchless scanning devices for tickets and required our visitors and employees to cover their mouths and noses with masks. We also followed a one-meter distance rule among other things. Our visitors were very understanding and grateful that we were able to organize such an inspiring festival in spite of all the restrictive measures.” The date for the 41st Saalfelden International Jazz Festival has also been set: it will take place from August 19 to 22, 2021. We look forward to welcoming you in one year!
With the app you are well informed about the line-up and all venues. Discover this year’s artists while listening to the festival-playlist, mark your favorites and create your own timetable for the event. With the push-notifications you are always up-to-date and get informed about concert changes and weather conditions. You will also be notified via push-notifications when a concert is already full and where places are still available. The Jazz app is now available in all app stores of Apple (iOS) and Google (Android): Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greencopper.jazzfestivalsaalfelden Apple: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1472556436 Jazz Saalfelden Weekender - Safety measures & ticket information This year's concerts can only take place with a limited number of visitors. It was therefore mandatory to register for the free concerts for a day pass. In the past few days, the last registrations for free day passes have been issued. The paid concerts are already sold out. If the situation changes, we will of course inform you immediately. Because of the venues’ different sizes, day passes do not automatically guarantee admission, which will be "FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED". We will hang on to our visitors’ personal data for 28 days after the event so that the authorities can track attendees rapidly in case any visitor has tested positive for COVID-19. Each day pass comes equipped with a QR code, which will be scanned directly at the entrances to the venues. Visitors therefore will not have to register at the ticket information booth prior to the event.
When the Austrian government announced on April 17 that it was canceling all cultural events until the end of August due to Covid-19, we were saddened to learn that our festival would be affected as well. A summer without cultural events and without the Saalfelden Jazz Festival seemed to us like a summer without flowers blooming, without birds chirping, and without picnics on green pastures. When it became clear by the end of May that events could take place again if organizers followed certain guidelines, we immediately met in our backyard, turned on the barbecue, and brainstormed ideas that led to concrete plans. That’s how we came up with the JAZZ SAALFELDEN WEEKENDER! Within just a few weeks, we created a music festival for all musical tastes to stand in for our annual jazz festival. Musical events will run the gamut from jazz to pop and will take place on a variety of stages—at the Ranch, the city park, Kunsthaus Nexus, Fuchs bookbindery, the Schloss Ritzen Museum, and on alpine pastures such as Forsthofalm and Stöcklalm. Thanks to Father Alois Moser, concerts will even take place at Saalfelden’s parish church—a first in the festival’s history! The evening concert at the Ranch on August 20 as well as the three music walks on August 21, 22, and 23 will require paid admission. All other concerts in the Saalfelden city center will be free of charge. Day passes for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are now on sale in our online shop: https://www.jazzsaalfelden.com/en/tickets/buy-tickets-online Saalfelden will once again reclaim its status as a music mecca in the middle of the mountains this year—and send out a message of confidence, optimism, and joy! While going forward with our exciting plans, we are also taking the current situation very seriously and will therefore allow only a limited number of guests to our free concerts. In cooperation with our COVID-19 expert, we have developed a comprehensive plan to safeguard the health and well-being of our visitors, artists, and employees at the different venues. Information about safety measures such as compulsory mask-wearing and social distancing can be found at: https://www.jazzsaalfelden.com/en/tickets/Ticket-Info This year, these safety measures require visitors to register for free day passes. Because of the venues’ different sizes, day passes do not automatically guarantee admission, which will be "FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED". We will hang on to our visitors’ personal data for 28 days after the event so that the authorities can track attendees rapidly in case any visitor has tested positive for COVID-19. Each day pass comes equipped with a QR code, which will be scanned directly at the entrances to the venues. Visitors therefore will not have to register at the ticket information booth prior to the event. Please register online: https://www.jazzsaalfelden.com/en/tickets/buy-tickets-online In spite of all these restrictions, we are confident that we can host a successful and—in many ways—very special musical weekend in Saalfelden.
Die Veranstalter des Jazzfestival Saalfelden dürfen sich freuen – mit der Plakatserie zum 40. Jubiläum, welches 2019 im August stattgefunden hat, wurden sie beim 34. T.A.I. WERBE GRAND PRIX 2020 in der Kategorie „Fachjury Sonderpreise“ ausgezeichnet. Der T.A.I. WERBE GRAND PRIX wird jährlich in den Kategorien Print (Plakate, Kataloge, Prospekte), TV‐ und Radio‐Spots, Websites sowie Online & Digital Marketing‐Kampagnen und Social Media‐Kampagnen ausgetragen. Die Bewertung erfolgt sowohl durch eine Fachjury unter Vorsitz des Werbeexperten Stefan Schmertzing (Agentur „Wunderknaben“) als auch – und das macht den T.A.I. WERBE GRAND PRIX einzigartig – durch das Publikum. In Einzelbereichen besonders herausragende Einreichungen werden von der Fachjury mit einem „Sonderpreis“ gewürdigt. Die Idee hinter dem Lead-Sujet: Interaktion und 40 Jahre Jubiläum Der Auftritt des Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2019, der wie in den Jahren zuvor von der Werbeagentur Rahofer entwickelt wurde, stand im Jubiläumsjahr 2019 unter dem Leitgedanken „Interaktion“. Die Geschichte rund um die Klangwesen RRRG, ZOXX, PHNU und NNMA, die bereits 2017 aus den Sounds of Saalfelden entstanden sind, erreichte im vergangenen Jahr ihren dramaturgischen Höhepunkt. Denn nach der Entstehung in 2017, der Begegnung in 2018, begannen die Klangwesen schließlich, miteinander zu interagieren – und erzeugten dadurch neue Klangwelten, die sich in überraschender Form manifestierten. Eine Metapher für die Freude am Experiment und am Neuen, die das Jazzfestival Saalfelden seit über 40 Jahren prägt.
After we learned that COVID-19 restrictions pertaining to artistic and cultural events were easing up, we immediately decided to show the world that the Saalfelden Jazz Festival is alive and well. That’s when the idea for the Jazz Saalfelden Weekender was born. Heralding optimism and confidence, this series of weekend concerts aims to delight music enthusiasts. Even though we won’t be able to follow our usual routine and host concerts on the Mainstage at the Congress Center’s and the town square’s big stages, we will be able to organize a musical happening from August 20 to 23, 2020 with a concert for every taste, from jazz to pop. Concerts will take place in the city park, at Kunsthaus Nexus, on alpine pastures, in the Schloss Ritzen Museum, at the “ranch,” on the roof terrace of the Congress and in the popular Fuchs bookbindery. Additional highlights will include guided hikes with musical accompaniment through the surrounding mountain scenery. Musical acts will include Mario Rom’s Interzone, Krokofant feat. Ingebrigt Haker Flaten & Stale Storlokken, „Training“ feat. Max Andrzejewski & Johnny Schleiermacher, Duo 4675 Astrid & Beate Wiesinger, Fabian Rucker, Katharina Ernst, Lukas Kranzelbinder, the Strottern & Blech, Voodoo Jürgens, Fuzzman, Mira Lu Kovacs, My Ugly Clementine, and many more.
We have all been affected by the events of the past few weeks and months. In Austria, due to Covid19, all events are officially prohibited until August 31, 2020. We too have to accept the developments and decisions of the federal government and announce with a heavy heart that the Jazz Festival Saalfelden 2020 will be canceled. We see it as our responsibility to offer visitors and artists the greatest possible security, this is why we decided not to postpone the jazz festival to another date. We are looking forward to seeing you again in Saalfelden in August 2021. Let's stay positive, we are looking forward to a great festival next year - August 19th-22nd, 2021. But more importantly at the moment: stay healthy!
