Big Band Night | Landesjugendbigband

Versatile, innovative, and modern! In 2026, the Saxony-Anhalt State Youth Big Band will present a program that breaks down genre boundaries. It combines classic big band sound with contemporary and modern arrangements by today’s jazz greats. On the tour as part of this year’s Saxony-Anhalt Youth Music Festival, another small focus is on the film music of Ennio Morricone, which is just as colorful and vibrant and spans many genres. Supporting young talent is very important to the band, which is why compositions by band members are regularly featured in their concerts.

The Saxony-Anhalt State Youth Big Band features young musicians who have successfully participated in the “Makin’ Jazz” workshop or the “Jugend jazzt” competition. Twice a year, they meet for intensive rehearsal sessions to prepare the current program.
Ralf Hesse is the big band’s musical director and frequently contributes his own arrangements and compositions to the rehearsal process. He studied jazz trumpet in Cologne and composition/arrangement in Mannheim. As a musician, he most recently toured with the Pepe Lienhard Orchestra and Udo Jürgens.

In addition to concerts at Michaelstein Abbey in the summer, the State Youth Big Band performed this past May alongside the young Wittenberg hip-hop artist JASSIN—in front of over 1,500 people at Wittenberg’s Arsenalplatz.

For more information on the State Youth Big Band:www.jugendmusikfest.de/ensembles/landesjugendbigband