2025 JAZZTOPAD FESTIVAL Begins In NYC This Month

The paradigm-shifting Polish festival Jazztopad returns to New York City for its ninth edition from June 13–18, 2025, continuing its mission of building bridges between the most adventurous voices in contemporary improvised music.

With concerts and events across Manhattan and Brooklyn, this year's edition once again invites audiences into intimate, boundary-erasing performances by internationally celebrated artists and emerging innovators.

Presented by the National Forum of Music in Wrocław in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York, Jazztopad NYC has become a vital satellite of Poland's most forward-thinking jazz festival. Each year, Artistic Director Piotr Turkiewicz brings together cutting-edge artists from across the globe, creating a creative platform that emphasizes new work, improvisational exchange, and international collaboration.

The 2025 edition features a compelling lineup of artists who blend traditional practices with contemporary experimentation—from raga and maqam to free jazz and electroacoustic performance. The events unfold in singular spaces across the city, including Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Rizzoli Bookstore, Barbès, and private living rooms, offering a mix of high-profile premieres and intimate, community-driven sessions.

"I've always believed the best jazz festivals don't just present music—they build communities across borders," says Artistic Director Piotr Turkiewicz. "This year's New York edition reflects our most global vision yet. From Japanese koto traditions and Iraqi maqam to South Indian sounds and Mexican vibraphone improvisation and Polish string quartet textures, these artists are redefining what improvised music can sound like in a truly international context."

"Improvisation is a universal language. Jazztopad invites musicians to speak across cultural vocabularies—sometimes for the first time," Turkiewicz continues. "It's not about seamless fusion, but real conversation—creative exchange in real time. That's why I'm especially proud of this year's premieres and small-room collaborations. You can hear the risk, the trust, and the wonder in the sound."

2025 JAZZTOPAD NYC SCHEDULE:

Friday, June 13, 7:30 PM Michiyo Yagi and Hamid Drake duo with Wacław Zimpel David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center

Saturday, June 14, 7:30 PM Waclaw Zimpel, Arun Ramamurthy & Brooklyn Raga Massive with special guest Amir ElSaffar David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center

Sunday, June 15, 4:30 PM Patricia Brennan & Maciej Obara duo Rizzoli Bookstore

Sunday, June 15, 8:00 PM Jazztopad Festival at Barbès Brooklyn

Tuesday, June 17, 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM Maciej Obara NYC Quartet feat. John Patitucci, Nasheet Waits, Dominik Wania Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Wednesday, June 18, 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM Immanuel Wilkins & Lutosławski Quartet – world premiere Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Friday, June 20, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM Immanuel Wilkins & Lutosławski Quartet – Canadian premiere Vancouver International Jazz Festival

ABOUT JAZZTOPAD FESTIVAL:

Founded in 2004 and held annually at the National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Jazztopad has grown into one of Europe's leading festivals for improvised music. Since Artistic Director Piotr Turkiewicz took the reins in 2008, the festival has distinguished itself through long-term creative partnerships, high-profile commissions, and its embrace of the unknown—favoring artistic process and experimentation over familiar formats.

Jazztopad has organized satellite editions around the world—from Tokyo and Seoul to Vancouver and Istanbul—in partnership with prestigious festivals. In New York, the festival has become known for its mix of marquee premieres and underground energy, capturing the spirit of Poland's music scene while embedding itself in the cultural life of the city.

What sets Jazztopad apart is its commitment to commissioning original works, with over 50 pieces premiered since 2008. These include orchestral works, string quartet commissions, and solo chamber projects by such luminaries as Wayne Shorter, Wadada Leo Smith, Charles Lloyd, Craig Taborn, Joëlle Léandre, Jason Moran, William Parker, Nicole Mitchell, and James Brandon Lewis. These pieces often explore new compositional terrain, with a particular interest in placing improvising soloists into dynamic relationships with classically trained ensembles.

Turkiewicz has placed a special focus on bringing together musicians from disparate traditions—uniting improvisers, contemporary classical composers, folk musicians, and artists working in electronic and experimental formats. The result is a curatorial vision that thrives on dialogue, surprise, and transformation.

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