Artistic Leadership

Focus: From Solo to Large Ensemble  
Convenor: Prof. Kristín Guttenberg

Bringing newcomers and young musicians together with established jazz greats has been a major feature of Jazzfest Berlin for many years. Alongside this year’s ImproLabs for children, in 2025 the festival will also present its second practical seminar in Artistic Leadership in co-operation with the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin and the Jazz Institute Berlin (after the first edition in 2023). Students of both institutions will have the opportunity to enter a stimulating exchange with Jazzfest Berlin 2025 musicians under the heading “From Solo to Large Ensemble” and to study the methods, range and freedom of their artistic working practices in a series of musical projects.  

The seminar will focus on individual and collective practices within artistic processes. Particular attention will be paid to the extensive range of methods and approaches used and experiences of team and project work: how do artists communicate? How does leadership work? Through concert visits, workshops and talks the participating students enter into a direct dialogue with their own ways of working as well as with the often very disparate working practices of the artists, ensembles and projects in this year’s festival. A selection of concerts and artist talks will be chosen based on the interests and questions raised by the seminar’s participants. These will take place both during and after the festival.