Did you know that at the start of their careers, The Beatles spent an entire year in a club in Hamburg? Or that Rammstein made their mark at a band contest in Germany? Everyone has to start somewhere. However, these days, getting started is increasingly challenging. The world is full of bands, but opportunities for concerts or album sales are becoming more limited, and curators are increasingly rare. Most event organizers focus on proven success formulas to sell as many tickets as possible. Therefore, this event is particularly significant.
The International Jazz in the Park Competition aims to discover young and talented bands and give the best among them a boost to launch into the music industry. Now in its seventh edition, the competition has become one of the most important events of its kind in Eastern Europe, as evidenced by the value of the prizes, the large number of bands that entered, and the significant audience participation.
This year, the Jazz in the Park Competition takes place from July 5-7 in Central Park, Cluj-Napoca. Entry is free, and the public experience is thrilling, filled with emotion, accessible, with special activities and other spectacular surprises. All these are part of the quality guarantee of events organized by Jazz in the Park.
For this year’s edition, 246 bands from 39 countries across five continents applied, and the preselection jury chose the most suitable 13 to participate in the finals in Cluj-Napoca! This year’s finalists are: Abel Marton Nagy’s Cosmos Band (Austria), Anna Hauss (Germany), Chief’s Condition (Netherlands), daoud (France), David Luca Quartet (Romania), Jazz Family Trio “ShekBand” (Ukraine), kitti (Scotland), Lyder Røed Quintet (Norway), MAGRO (Germany), Nonconformist Anthology (Romania), Răzvan Cipcă Trio (Romania), Subconscious Trio (Italy), Zouratie Kone Trio (Belgium). These 13 bands will compete for the grand prize of 5,000 EUR, as well as an invitation to perform at the Jazz in the Park Festival from August 30 to September 1! In addition to the prizes on offer, each band receives a guaranteed honorarium of 1,000 EUR and a travel budget of up to 1,000 EUR, plus coverage of all expenses during their stay in Cluj.
Besides the competing bands’ concerts, the festival will feature special guests: Roberto Fonseca (Cuba), Corto.alto (Scotland), last year’s winners, Klawo (Poland), and Romanian artists: Elena Mîndru, 7th Sense, and Răzvan Florescu Quartet.
Thanks to its prize fund and the way it treats artists, the Jazz in the Park Competition has become a model of best practices in its industry at the European level. And for the general public, the experience is purely festival-like, but access is free.
The event is supported by Digi and BRD Groupe Société Générale. You can support it too! Just participate! Who knows, you might get the chance to see the next Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea for free!
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