The second press conference for the 19th Novi Sad Jazz Festival, which will take place from 15 until 18 November, was held in the ‘Youth Forum’ club of the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad.

Bojan Panaotović, Director of the CCNS, expressed hope that the festival will be even more present in the media, since Novi Sad, thanks to Nemanja Milenković, CEO of the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation, and his associates, managed to win the European Capital of Culture title, while hard work of Vesna Kaćanski has made the Novi Sad Jazz Festival one of the cultural symbols of this city.

– The essence of jazz is freedom and leisureliness that dissolve any stiffness and conservatism, narrow-mindedness and hostility, especially here, on the Balkans – said Mr Panaotović, adding that this festival programme would make any European or global capital proud.

This year marks the beginning of cooperation between the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation and Cultural Centre of Novi Sad within the Novi Sad Jazz Festival. The subject of cooperation is implementation of pre-festival activities from 11 until 14 November, and part of the main programme of the festival on 15 November in Novi Sad Theatre – Újvidéki Színház.

The cooperation is based on educational-affirmative approach, internationalisation and promotion of young artists from Novi Sad and their colleagues from other European Capitals of Culture: former capital – Pécs (2010), future capital – Plovdiv (2019) and Austrian city candidate – Sankt Pölten (2024).

Nemanja Milenković, CEO of the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation, stressed that it is important to raise capacities of institutions by strengthening their programme, in order to contribute and adjust to goals and principles of the concept – For New Bridges.

– It is crucial for the Foundation to create possibilities for affirmation and promotion of young artists, as well as conditions for audience development, by discovering new and exciting city venues that make culture accessible to all – said Mr Milenković and invited everyone to attend this year’s Novi Sad Jazz Festival.

Vesna Kaćanski, manager and executive producer of the festival stressed that the first day of the main programme will take place in the Novi Sad Theatre – Újvidéki Színház on 15 November, when the following bands will perform: ‘AFIUM’ Trio (Pécs, Hungary), Grossmutterchen Hatz & Klok (Sankt Pölten, Austria) and Karageorgiev Quartet (Plovdiv, Bulgaria). The Novi Sad Jazz Festival will continue with the main programme in the Serbian National Theatre from 16 until 18 November announced Ms Kaćanski, stressing that Adam Klem had a big influence on the festival programme this year.

She added that each night will be followed by a jam session, favourite part for many citizens of Novi Sad, which is at the same time an important experience for young musicians. The first performance of this year’s festival programme in the Serbian National theatre is reserved for the Novi Sad Big band led by the conductor Fedor Vrtačnik. He said that the concert will consist of two parts – promotion of the new CD of the orchestra called ‘Polaris’, published with the help of the City of Novi Sad, while the second part is reserved for the American singer Denise King. She will perform new arrangements of the compositions from her regular repertoire. – This festival is made big by the fact that this year we have two big bands. There are not many festivals that can boast with this accomplishment – said mr Vračnik. The bass player Vladimir Samardžić, who has achieved an international career, will perform two times. Firstly, as an associate of the Big Band, with which he often performs, while the second performance will be presentation of Samardžić’s own project, made with our musician Nenad Gajin who lives and works in Paris, sax player Filipe Sales and drummer Mokhtar Samba.

Uroš Šećerov, member of the festival Council and this year’s performer, stressed that he is glad that this year the festival will host a great number of Serbian musicians who are European and global stars. He added that there will be a workshop, prepared in collaboration with Jasna Jovićević, on 16 and 17 November, where attendees will have a chance to find out what is Free Jazz. The second day of the workshop, attendees will have a chance to see music sculptures of Vladimir Labat in the studio for integral improvisation in Popovica. The music of these sculptures is based on aliquot tones. We would like to remind that main programme comprises famous drummer Billy Cobham with his quintet, Italian pianist Antonio Farao, with Serbian drummer Vladimir Kostadinović, quartet of the sax player Miguel Zenón, Dušan Jevtović Trio, Kekko Fornarelli’s band, Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio with Italian bass player Dario Deidda, which is the highlight of this year’s festival, and finally Big Band RTS with trombone player Samuel Blaser.

The price for an individual ticket for the concert in the Novi Sad Theatre is 400 RSD. The tickets are sold in the Novi Sad Theatre only by 15 November. Working hours of the ticket office: from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The price for an individual ticket for the concerts in the Serbian National Theatre is 800 RSD. Working hours of the ticket office: from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pre-sale of tickets started on 3 November 2017. The price for the ticket set for all four evening is 2,300 RSD.
Applications for workshops are sent via the official site of the Novi Sad Jazz Festival: www.novisadjazzfestival.rs