As every year, we have selected an independent jury (separate from our organizing team) to ensure the objectivity of the competition. They will evaluate based on five criterias:
- Band cohesion
- Performance quality
- Connection with the audience
- Originality of compositions
- Adaptation to the festival rules
The bands are competing for the following prizes:
- 1st Place: 5,000 EUR + an invitation to perform a paid concert at the Jazz in the Park festival in September + an invitation to perform at the closing concert of next year’s competition
- 2nd Place: 3,000 EUR
- 3rd Place: 1,000 EUR
- Best Romanian Band: 1,000 EUR
- Best Composition: 500 EUR
- Audience Award: Musical instruments
- Special Mentions: 3 x 500 EUR each, awarded to individual musicians who stand out
It is also worth mentioning that all finalist bands have already received a guaranteed fee of 1,000 EUR and a transport budget of an additional 1,000 EUR to reach the festival.
With that said, let’s meet the jury:
Elena Mîndru: Vocalist and composer Elena Mîndru is one of the most valuable representatives of European jazz today. Originally from Romania and now residing in Finland, Elena Mîndru has developed an international career, delighting audiences worldwide as a soloist with symphony orchestras and big bands, as well as with her own ensemble. Elena performed at Jazz in the Park in 2022 and has been part of the Jazz in the Park community ever since. This year, she has accepted our invitation to be a jury member and to perform a concert on the evening of July 5th.
Bogdan Roșca-Zasmencu: Currently the director of Radio Cluj, Bogdan Roșca has been a radio journalist for almost 30 years. A jazz enthusiast, he is among the last radio DJs to host a jazz show using vinyl records. Bogdan is known for his record collection and has been a close friend of our festival, unconditionally promoting it for over 7 years. He debuted as a DJ at our festival with a set in 2022.
Teodor Pop: Leader and pianist of the JazzyBIT band from Timișoara. He fell in love with the piano at the age of 4 and studied classical music until he was 14, when he joined the jazz classes at his local music school in Oradea. He continued to play jazz, rock, and blues in various projects after moving to Timișoara for university studies. In 2011, he founded JazzyBIT with Mihai Moldoveanu and Szabo Csongor Zsolt, which has since become the most well-known Romanian jazz band in the world, thanks to over 300 concerts in more than 30 countries across 3 continents.
Horea Marc: Stage manager of Jazz in the Park since the festival’s inception, his experience in event organization and music has shaped the competition we see today. He graduated from the “Gheorghe Dima” Music Academy, specializing in percussion. Together with the Jazz in the Park team, he has organized over 500 concerts and had the opportunity to work with some of the most important jazz musicians in the world. He is also the chairman of the jury.
The jury has never had a more difficult task than this year. We had over 240 bands registered, and the final promises to be very balanced and difficult to judge.
Who is your favorite?
See you at the competition! July 5-7, Central Park, Cluj-Napoca! Entrance is free!
