In a time when artistic freedom and visibility matter more than ever, rejazz-festival offers a stage for voices that continue to shape the sound and perception of jazz today. Founded in 2020, the festival focuses on outstanding female and female-identifying bandleaders–celebrating those who compose, lead and define the aesthetics of contemporary jazz with creative autonomy and vision.
Across three nights, six ensembles illuminate how multifaceted the current jazz landscape can be. Each project draws its energy from individuality and collective exchange, from the dialogue between composition and improvisation, structure and surprise. The result is a festival that listens forward – attentive to new ideas, new forms and new perspectives.
On Thursday, 20 November, Latvian guitarist Ella Zirina opens with a solo performance of shimmering subtlety and emotional depth, weaving jazz, folk and classical colours into poetic resonance. Her music moves between contemplation and eruption, sound and silence. She is followed by Holly Schlott’s eleven-piece ensemble UNIQUE, whose orchestral textures, driving rhythms and improvisational openness create a powerful statement on diversity, freedom and collective creativity.
Friday, 21 November begins with pianist Julia Kadel, whose solo set turns introspection into poetry. They move between vulnerability and strength, and reflect both inner and societal currents. The Dutch quartet Sanne Sanne, led by vocalist and vibraphonist Sanne Huijbregts, continues the evening with intricate vocal layers and a sound that drifts effortlessly between indie-folk intimacy, sophisticated pop sensibility and contemporary jazz energy. Their interplay is vivid, dynamic and precise – a collective sound that feels both fresh and finely balanced.
The final night, Saturday, 22 November, opens with Birgitta Flick and Sylvia Bruckner, two leading voices of European improvisation. Their duo unfolds as a conversation in real time – sensitive, alert and daring. To close the festival, Evi Filippou’s ensemble inEvitable extended merges complex rhythms, Greek folklore and boundless playfulness into a luminous finale, where collective energy and emotional depth meet with unrestrained joy.
rejazz-festival #6
20–22.11.2025 | Doors 20:00 CET | Starts 20:30 CET
Jazzclub Kunstfabrik Schlot | Invalidenstrasse 117 in 10115 Berlin
