Jazz Open 2026: Jugendjazzorchester BW

The Baden-Württemberg Youth Jazz Orchestra (JJO BW), founded in the early 1980s by Jiggs Whigham and Bernd Konrad, is a leading ensemble for musicians aged 16 to 24. Supported by the Baden-Württemberg State Music Council, its aim is to connect talented young jazz musicians and promote their musical and personal development. Membership lasts two years and is regularly renewed through auditions, with rehearsals and concerts forming the core of the work. The orchestra plays big band jazz at the highest level with a strong focus on improvisation and has produced well-known alumni such as Claus Stötter, Hubert Nuss, Klaus Graf, Mini Schulz and Sebastian Studnitzky. Bernd Konrad led the ensemble for three decades, followed by Rainer Tempel (2013-2021). Klaus Graf is currently the musical director.