Monthly, from September through to April, Podium Jong Professionals Jazz (PJPJ) organises inspiring jazz concerts featuring talented young jazz professionals from the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
In May, PJPJ presents an intimate JazzFest. Alongside young jazz talent from the School for Young Talent, the event also features jazz students from the Royal Conservatoire The Hague and top professional jazz musicians. Through its concerts, PJPJ provides young jazz professionals with a unique opportunity to gain stage experience in a distinctive concert setting. The upcoming jazz season promises to be sparkling and surprising once again.
Programma
Juan Rodríguez Chamber is an ensemble whose music stems from a mindful contemplation of nature. Through vocals, piano and drums, their sound evokes the atmosphere of Gregorian chants or the music of Debussy, whilst remaining rooted in the purity of the natural world. Featuring Juan Rodríguez on piano, Daniela Fanelli on vocals and Firtina Kiral on drums.
Jette de Jager, vocals; Octavian Wijnbergh, piano; and Aaron van Dongen, double bass. These talented young jazz musicians are students at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. During ‘Het Weekend van Voorschoten’, they will be giving various performances in the centre of Voorschoten as part of the Culture Market.
With a melodic, groove-oriented and versatile repertoire, the quintet presents a contemporary jazz sound in which written compositions, samples and improvisation come together seamlessly. The quintet draws inspiration from modern (groove) artists such as Louis Cole and Sam Wilkes, amongst others. Featuring Phileas Loh on drums, Max Kuitems on piano, Ilia Gurianov on guitar, Aaron van Dongen on double bass and Max Treutner on tenor saxophone.
La Pachanga Latina is the first project at the Royal Conservatoire to focus on Latin American and Brazilian music. La Pachanga Latina promises a fun and memorable evening with fantastic songs to dance and sing along to. Featuring Candela Vargas on vocals, Eider Aguado on saxophone, Guillermo López on clarinet, Diego Chumillas on vibraphone, Diego Díaz on piano, Gerard Kleijer on drums and João Fontenla on electric bass guitar.
The KC Jazz Big Band traces its origins to the mid-1970s, when students and lecturers from the jazz department of the Royal Conservatoire founded their own big band. Under the baton of Frans Elsen initially, and later – from the early 1990s onwards – clarinettist and saxophonist John Ruocco, the orchestra grew to become a fixture on the Dutch jazz scene. Since 2022, the big band has been led by Claudio Jr De Rosa. Claudio is himself a former student of the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, as well as a saxophonist, composer and arranger. In recent years, he has performed regularly with PJPJ and is a successful musician on the European jazz scene.
The quartet shares a passion for improvisation. They present a programme of timeless standards, Latin and groove arrangements, inspired by jazz vocalists such as Carmen McRae and Shirley Horn. The quartet offers a captivating interpretation of much-loved repertoire, blending tradition with spontaneity and a modern approach. Featuring singer Virág Czakó, pianist Max Kuitems, Leonardo Mafra on double bass and Adonis Christou on drums.
Samodiva presents a fusion of Bulgarian folk music and jazz. The band pays tribute to Milcho Leviev, the Bulgarian jazz pianist and composer, who blended traditional melodies and complex rhythms with jazz. The repertoire consists of Leviev’s compositions and the band’s own arrangements in his spirit. Featuring Marta Dragova on vocals, Diego Díaz on piano, Babin Olano on electric guitar, João Fontenla on double bass, Adonis Christou on drums and Eider Aguado on flute and tenor saxophone.
Kaô’s music is inspired by Brazilian music, including that of Milton Nascimento, and modern jazz, including that of Kurt Rosenwinkel. The band mainly plays original music that reflects this fusion of cultures and which blends together surprisingly well. Featuring João Fontenla on electric bass and double bass, Ariadna Grau on vocals, an unnamed violinist, Adonis Christou on drums, Alberto Rodríguez on tenor saxophone, João Martins on electric guitar and Max Kuitems on piano and keyboard.
The Royal Conservatoire Jazz Choir consists mainly of international first- and second-year jazz vocal students and is conducted by Anka Koziel. The jazz choir performs a mix of varied and well-known jazz standards. The choir’s performance will be interspersed with solo performances by the choir members and the jazz trio.
The intimate nature of the PJPJ JazzFest, held in honour of its founder Piet Wezepoel, means that young talents from the School for Young Talent (aged 8–18), jazz students, top professional jazz musicians and visitors can all come together in a cosy, intimate setting. Three generations of musicians come together. In 2027, PJPJ will be celebrating the 10th edition of the JazzFest!
It has already been announced that The Hague Young Jazz Orchestra will be performing once again, and there will be plenty of young jazz talent from the School for Young Talent at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
The headliner at the festival is Fay Claassen. Fay Claassen, the Netherlands’ most versatile jazz singer, ranks among Europe’s vocal elite. Fay studied at the Royal Conservatoire and first performed at PJPJ back in 1996. After more than 30 years, she is now returning to make beautiful music once again in Voorschoten.
