JugendJazzOrchester NRW

The JugendJazzOrchester Nordrhein-Westfalen (JJO NRW) celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015. Founded in 1975 as the first ensemble of its kind in the Federal Republic of Germany with the support of the then North Rhine-Westphalian Minister President Johannes Rau, it has developed into a big band with a model character for many other state youth jazz orchestras.

The JJO NRW has made a name for itself in particular through unusual and innovative projects. This includes, above all, collaboration with artists and ensembles from other musical genres as well as with classical orchestras. The willingness and competence with which the select ensemble acts across styles leads to numerous interesting combinations that arouse curiosity, sometimes even provoke. In addition, the ensemble regularly receives invitations to perform with renowned soloists from the fields of jazz as well as pop and chanson.

More than a dozen record productions are proof of the diverse activities and the presence in the scene.

As a cultural ambassador for NRW in the field of jazz, 42 concert tours of the orchestra have taken it around the globe.

In 2010, as in 2006, the band won 1st prize at the national competition for selection orchestras, and in 2013 it was awarded the WDR Jazz Prize in the category "NRW Jazz Youngsters". The JugendJazzOrchester NRW is a sponsorship project of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.