Every year in May, the Romanian capital – Bucharest – hosts guests from all over the world for the International Jazz Competition ( Bucharest International JAZZ Competition ), which takes place during the week, as part of the large music festival EUROPafest, which has become the hallmark of the country in recent years.
The peculiarity of EUROPafest, which makes it unique in Europe, is that it is dedicated to four musical directions – jazz, blues, pop – and classical music, thereby uniting music lovers of almost all genres. During the festival, in addition to competitions in these musical directions, various cultural events – contests, seminars, master classes, exhibitions, jam-seixes and all kinds of concerts are also held.
EUROPafest has been leading its history since 1993, but initially it was devoted only to classical music, gradually its concept changed, new music contests appeared in its composition. Since 2005, the festival has been under the patronage of the Romanian royal family. Each year, EUROPafest hosts more than 300 musicians from 45 countries.
The international jazz competition, which has been part of EUROPafest since 2007, is by far one of the most popular jazz competitions in Europe. Its participants can be all-wishing jazz groups, instrumentalists and vocalists under the age of 35, and its main goal is – to promote the international recognition of modern jazz culture.
The jury of the Competition consists of the most famous jazzmen in the world, and the main events are held in the halls of the Royal Palace and at various concert venues in the capital. After all, the International Jazz Competition in Bucharest – is a whole week dedicated exclusively to jazz.
The competition program is very extensive and saturated. In addition to competitive performances, famous jazz musicians come here to talk with colleagues, identify new talents, hold master classes and various seminars, and organize jam-seixes. And, of course, jazz these days sounds not only in halls and classrooms, but also in many cafes and even just on the streets of the city. And the jazz festival ends with the presentation of prizes to the winners and a grand gala concert.