Women in Jazz - Internationales jazzfestival

In the page's words:

The WOMEN IN JAZZ festival is dedicated to modern jazz and pursues a special goal: it presents jazz projects that are under the artistic direction of a female jazz musician. While there are comparable initiatives in the USA, this clear focus remains unique in Europe. In this way, the festival not only sets a cultural tone, but also makes an important contribution to promoting gender equality in art and culture.

WOMEN IN JAZZ celebrated its premiere in 2006 and has accompanied and shaped the dynamic development of women's jazz ever since. It was only after the turn of the millennium that female jazz musicians began to increasingly conquer the international scene - today they are significantly represented both in vocal jazz with characteristic voices and in instrumental jazz with innovative soundscapes. In recent years, the festival has succeeded in attracting outstanding female artists from all over the world to the city on the Saale.

In 2012, the festival was recognized as a "Landmark of Ideas" as part of the "Germany - Land of Ideas" initiative. In 2015, the festival project EURASIEN UNITY under the direction of Caroline Thon received the WELTMUSIKPREIS RUTH. In addition, the special commitment to women's jazz was highlighted during the German EU Council Presidency in December 2020 as an example of best practice in a digital conference on gender equality in European culture and media.

In Central Germany, WOMEN IN JAZZ has become an established and respected part of the contemporary music scene. The festival already exceeded the 100,000 visitor mark in 2019. The change in the audience structure is also striking: thanks to its thematic focus, the festival has opened up jazz to women in particular - more than half of the guests are now female.