40th Eldena Jazz Evenings

For over 30 years the Monastery ruins Eldena Melting pot and jewel of the north-east European jazz scene. Every year on the first weekend in July, established greats and hopeful new discoveries from the world of jazz perform on the open-air stage within the monastery walls. There are always exciting acts from the Polish and Scandinavian jazz scene.

The two-day festival is known for its relaxed atmosphere and unique setting. "The concert nights begin in the evening sun, which almost magically lights up the red brick walls in the concert hall, which is open to the sky." (Heti Brunzel/NDR) and end shortly before midnight amidst the illuminated walls under the open night sky. Musicians and visitors meet under the ancient oak trees or sit together in the audience to listen to the concerts. The familiar festival atmosphere and the good acoustics impress every musician. Guitarist Giovanni Weiss, winner of two ECHO jazz trophies, described the place as "overwhelming, beautiful" and the sound as "incredibly" good.

Program Eldenaer Jazz Evenings

The program of the Eldenaer Jazz Evenings reflects the entire spectrum of the national and international jazz scene - from big band sound to classical piano trio, from well-known jazz standards to free jazz and crossover projects. In recent years, well-known figures such as Rolf Kühn, Hannes Zerbe and Uli Gumpert as well as musicians from the younger generation around Nils Wogram, Eva Kruse, Christian Lillinger, Silke Eberhard and Julia Hülsmann have performed in Eldena. The NDR Big Band, which makes regular guest appearances in the monastery ruins, is almost part of the festival's inventory. International instrumentalists such as Al di Meola, Klaus Doldinger, the Tingvall Trio, Adam Baldych and Wojtek Mazolewski have already performed at the Eldenaer Jazz Evenings. In addition, there are always young musicians who are at the beginning of a promising career. Since 2015, the Eldenaer Jazz Evenings have been awarding a concert prize as part of the federal youth jazz event. The concerts are recorded by NDR and regularly broadcast on the radio program.