WASHINGTON, D.C. – TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022 – The
DC Jazz Festival® (DCJF) and the Nordic Embassies to the United States are excited to announce the initial official lineup for the 16th Annual Nordic Jazz Festival, taking place from June 17th to June 22nd at sites around DC. This year’s Nordic Jazz Festival is a partnership between DC Jazz Festival and the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The festival will include three concerts at the Mead Center’s Arena Stage and the premises of the Embassies of Finland and Norway. Artists include Orrin Evans Trio from the U.S., Joonas Haavisto Trio from Finland, Kresten Osgood/Cooper Moore from Denmark/U.S., Ole Mathisen Renderings Quartet from Norway, and Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio from Iceland.
On Tuesday, June 21st, at
Arena Stage at The Mead Center, GRAMMY-nominated pianist-composer-bandleader and DCJF Artist-In-Residence Orrin Evans and his Trio will celebrate the unique crossover music of the acclaimed Swedish trio known as E.S.T., whose leader Esbjorn Svensson tragically passed in June 2008. As noted by their ACT record label, E.S.T. “confounded the expectations of audiences who thought they knew what jazz sounded like.” Much of their fame was achieved through an uncanny engagement of acoustic instruments and live electronics via Svensson’s resourceful keyboards employment. Joonas Haavisto Trio from Finland will open the concert. Tickets will be available for purchase
here (open from May 18).
On Friday, June 17th, Joonas Haavisto Trio from Finland and Kresten Osgood/Cooper Moore from Denmark/U.S. will perform at the Embassy of Finland. Haavisto, hailed by Der Spiegel as “one of the most talented pianists of his generation,” combines memorable themes with multilayered rhythmic motifs and sophisticated harmonies, and his Joonas Haavisto Trio unites three stellar musicians from the Finnish jazz scene. Danish drummer-bandleader Kresten Osgood, described as “one of Denmark’s most prolific and influential drummers,” has recorded albums with such notable musicians as the late, great saxophonist Sam Rivers. Besides himself, the band includes pianist Cooper-Moore from the U.S. Please register
here (open from May 18).
On Wednesday, June 22nd, Ole Mathisen Renderings Quartet from Norway and Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio from Iceland will perform at the Embassy of Norway. Sunna, whose work has been lauded by The Washington Post as “elegantly bridging soul-searching passages with uncluttered swing,” has performed in leading jazz festivals around the world. Mathisen, who heads the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program at Columbia University, is an awarded saxophonist and composer with over a hundred CD releases and several music and television compositions under his belt. Please register
here (open from May 18).
“DC Jazz Festival is honored and excited to be able to present the timeless traditions of Nordic jazz music at our new home at Arena Stage during the 2022 Nordic Jazz Festival,” says DCJF CEO, Sunny Sumter. “We are grateful to our partners from the Nordic Embassies for helping to cultivate such a culturally rich experience in our Nation’s Capital.”
“The Nordic Embassies are honored to organize the 16th Nordic Jazz Festival in cooperation with DCJF, and present top artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and the US to the audience in the Washington, D.C. area. It is great to organize an in-person festival for the first time since three years,” says Mikko Hautala, Ambassador of Finland to the US.
For more information about Nordic Jazz Festival 2022, including information about artists, schedule information, registration, and ticketing details, please see
here. Please note that registration links will open on May 18.
Learn more about the DC Jazz Festival and the full range of programs by visiting
www.dcjazzfest.org.
