The Week of Jazz

 
The Week of Jazz (WKVDJ) was a new initiative by the VNJJ in 2021, our 39 affiliated jazz venues and jazz festivals, and our partners. The event took place in the context of International Jazz Day 2022; a global initiative by UNESCO in collaboration with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. The WKVDJ celebrates jazz music and its connecting role between people from all over the world. Just like the music itself, the WKVDJ as an open initiative offers everyone with a heart for jazz the opportunity to participate. This edition took place from Monday, April 25, 2022, through Sunday, May 1, 2022.

 

The Week of Jazz Composition Assignment

 

In collaboration with Buma Cultuur, and made possible by the Rights Sector Support Fund of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), 10 composers distributed across the Netherlands were given the opportunity to create and present new compositions on a beautiful stage in the Netherlands. This was supported with a working contribution from the scheme nieuwemuziekmaken.nl. Working title: the Week of Jazz Composition Assignment.

 

The goal was to support composers in their creative process during the extremely difficult period of corona and to fill the world with more expressive and connecting music. The assignment gave the composer full freedom in writing the composition(s). The budget was intended for the composition assignment and a presentation moment during the Week of Jazz in an ensemble of their choice. A total of €100,000 was available for the 10 composers.

 

Winners

The jury took into account artistic quality, geographical spread, diversity, and completeness of the submitted application in their selection. From 43 submissions, the following 10 composers were selected: