Jazz te Gast in Zuidhorn brings world-class musicians to the gardens at De Gast

The fifth edition of Jazz te Gast promises to be a very special one, partly due to the arrival of Avishai Cohen (trumpeter, New York) and Tijn Wybenga (composer and conductor, Amsterdam). Cohen and Wybenga bring together all kinds of jazz musicians to realize no fewer than 25 concerts in one day.

These take place on Saturday afternoon in the beautiful gardens at De Gast in Zuidhorn and are freely accessible. On Saturday evening there will be a final concert with the North Pole Orchestra, for which tickets went on sale on April 15.

In addition, there is a concert on Friday evening by a number of amateur ensembles from the Zuidhorn area, led by Wouter Hakhoff.

Children from the neighborhood also perform in a concert resulting from Nadine Strang’s improvisation music lessons. On Sunday, Cohen, Wybenga and the other jazz musicians will perform the end result of their musical adventure in the Bimhuis Amsterdam.

Avishai Cohen

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen is praised for his own sound and creative mind, which is always open to multiple movements within jazz. He has been voted Rising Star in the DownBeat Critics Poll no less than three times in a row.

Geert Drion, founder and programmer of Jazz te Gast, is looking forward to the arrival of world star Avishai Cohen: “We are very proud to welcome such a great talent. Jazz in Guest is unique in its experimental character, where jazz musicians come together in a short time to create something new.”

Tijn Wybenga

Composer, conductor and artistic director Tijn Wybenga combines modern classical, jazz and electronics with improvisation, dance and theater. For two years he was New Maker in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam. There he founded his 14-piece ensemble AM.OK (Amsterdam Modern Orchestra), with top musicians from the Dutch jazz scene. AM.OK played at the North Sea Jazz festival, among others.

About Jazz as a Guest

Jazz te Gast transforms Zuidhorn into the absolute center of European jazz. International top musicians, young talent and the North Pole Orchestra come together for an unprecedented adventure: making new music on the spot and then performing it in the fairytale gardens of De Gast in Zuidhorn.

It is truly a makers’ party: under the leadership of an Artist in Residence (Avishai Cohen) and an Artist Entrepreneur (Tijn Wybenga), thirteen musicians will work on Friday, June 7, to create new material.

This will be presented the next day: during the day on seven different stages in the De Gast gardens – which are free of charge – and in the evening in a final concert with the North Pole Orchestra. Jazz in Guest is an initiative of the residents of Zuidhorn. It is made possible by the many volunteers and sponsors from the village and the contributions from a large number of funds.

Source for images:

– Jazz as Guest in 2022. Photo: Janette Hamminga

-Avishai Cohen. Photo: Ziv Ravitz

– Tijn Wybenga. Photo: Rosita Stumpel Breuer