Happy Big Band Weekend 2024 – 1st day

Sat 2nd of March 2024 at 15 on bridge of Estonian National Museum in Tartu (Estonia) City Jazz Riga jazz school Big Band (Latvia) conductors Karlis Vanags, Karlis Alfreds Feldbergs, vocal soloists Jete Rebeka Strazdina, Marks Vilenskiset Tartu Saksikoor, leader Toomas Peterson Big Band Tartu, guest conductor Roger Johansen (Norway) vocal soloist Kreet Stubender

Big Band Tartu met a lot of guest conductors and other big bands during all the years of activity, with whom we continued to communicate. So we know our sommon interests, wish to lissen and share eachothers music and ideas, like to meet and study something new. Thatfor we organize already 10th International Happy Big Band Weekend 2nd-03rd of March 2024 in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. To meet friends again and share our enthusiasm with a jazz-loving audience.

The star of this weekend will be Mr. Roger Johansen – conductor, drummer, composer and organizer of the jazz festival Open Jazz Bodø from the European Capital of Culture Bodø 2024 in Norway, whose compositisions and other Norwegian music will be performed by Big Band Tartu.

The other important international guest will be City Jazz Riga jazz school big band from Latvia, led by saxophonist and composer, Latvian Radio Big Band leader and artistic director Karlis Vanags, and Latvian Radio Big Band tombonist Karļis Alfreds Feldbergs. The special guests of the concert are the singers Jete Rebeka Strazdina and Marks Vilenskis.

From our Estonian friends, Uku Konsap Big Band is first to announce – Uku Konsap is a young Estonian saxophonist who gathered his own big band for the first time in the spring of 2022, involving the best young jazz musicians from Southern Estonia together with some “veterans”. Also we are happy welcome in our stage Eller Big Band (conductor Tanel Aavakivi), Piirilinna Big Band from Valga led by Gunars Geduševs from Latvia, Valmiera, Tartu Sax Choir (conductor Toomas Peterson) and Big Band Tartu, who have the opportunity to perform a program with our guest from Norway. In our concert in Tallinn will play our dear friends TalTech Big Band (conductor Bianca Rantala) and Horre Zeiger Big Band (conductor Toomas Tutt).

In Tartu concerts on 2nd and 3rd of March 2024 will be located in Estonian National Museum.
In Tallinn concert will be in cultural center Kaja.

Festival is listed into European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 programme.

If you want to grab a bite or need a place to stay, see what the Tartu 2024 hospitality network offers in the area: https://tartu2024.ee/recommendations-tartucity