On the day of the Danish Music Awards Jazz on December 2, Jazz Danmark invites you to Jazz+, an inspiring afternoon in Lille VEGA, creating space for conversations, ideas, and networking across the Danish jazz community.

From 13:00 to 17:00, Lille VEGA’s concert hall and side bars will be transformed into an open meeting point for musicians, jazz clubs, festivals, organizations, the music industry, and more. Throughout the afternoon, you can take part in talks, presentations, and debates exploring the many challenges and opportunities within today’s jazz scene. Whether you want to reflect on gender balance and cultural heritage, or the lives of musicians and international exchange, this is a space to share knowledge and visions about jazz with like-minded people.

Sign up for Jazz+ here

Program

• 12:30: Doors open
• 13:00: Joint welcome in Lille VEGA. Director of Jazz Danmark Eva Frost welcomes everyone to the day’s program and reveals the main points of Jazz Danmark’s new strategy 2026–2029.
• Lyngsie Salen and VEGA Lounge open for parallel talks, conversations, and debates.

ROOM 1: LYNGSIE SALEN

• 13:15–14:00
  Mega Musician Relay
  Facilitated by Lars Thor and Anders Boye Knudsen from Jazz Danmark.
  The Musician Relay has for many years been an opportunity for musicians to exchange experiences and share knowledge — and it’s also Jazz Danmark’s way of staying in touch with the everyday life of musicians in Denmark. More than 200 musicians have taken part in the relays since 2019. Now we’re hosting a Mega Musician Relay, where all Jazz+ participants are invited to join the conversation about life as a musician in 2025.Participation in the Mega Musician Relay requires registration. This is done as part of the Jazz+ sign-up.

   

• 14:15–15:00
  Panel discussion: A blossoming jazz scene in bleak times (English)
  Moderator: Anna Lidell (Founder of Sleeve).
  Participants: Götz Buhler (Artistic Director at jazzahead!), Lene Vive Christiansen (Head of Program and Development at VEGA), Mathias Heise (Musician and board member of Jazz Danmark). 

  On one hand, the jazz release landscape is flourishing with historically high release numbers and great diversity in musical expression.
  On the other hand, creators’ opportunities are challenged by KODA-free music services, AI-generated music, and streaming platforms that produce and promote their own content, increasing competition for listeners’ attention and revenue.
  
  Does jazz have particular strengths or challenges in today’s media and attention landscape — and how can we create new spaces where jazz can flourish?

• 15:15–16:00
  Interview and Q&A with Eric Birath from Fasching and Stockholm Jazz Festival.
  Interviewer: Martin Røen (Director, Godset in Kolding)
  Since 1977, Fasching has developed into one of Scandinavia’s most significant jazz venues and now operates as a club, venue, and restaurant with live music six nights a week. The venue has a maximum capacity of about 350 and attracts over 80,000 guests annually. Fasching also runs the city-wide autumn event Stockholm Jazz Festival, which in 2024 broke audience records with over 30,000 visitors and 269 acts across 72 stages.In this interview, Eric Birath will talk about the daily work of running a dedicated jazz house and the festival’s role as a catalyst for Sweden’s music scene. He will also share ideas on how Danish venues can work strategically with programming, partnerships, and audience development.
  
  Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the interview.
• 16:15–16:30
  Where does art live in a world made for content creators?
  Presentation by Anna Lidell (Founder of Sleeve). 

  As tech platforms have taken over much of the advertising market, traditional media’s cultural coverage has been cut back. Today, musicians are expected to create and perform music, manage PR, sell tickets, and handle social media — yet on platforms designed to reward trends and speed, art doesn’t always thrive.Anna Lidell talks about how her platform, Sleeve, aims to give musicians new tools to build and nurture relationships with their audience on the artist’s own terms.

ROOM 2: VEGA LOUNGE

• 13:30–14:15
  The jazz audience: Who fills the venues, and who stays away?
  Moderator: Michael Marino (Board member at Copenhagen Jazz Festival and TEMPI)
  Panelists: Katrine Haugaard (Organization and Event Manager at Dansk Live), Anders Malta (Musician and member of Copenhagen’s Music Council), and Jeppe Uggerhøj (Artistic Director of Musikhuset Aarhus). 

  The report Dansk Jazz i Tal 2025 presents an analysis of the Danish jazz audience, created in collaboration with the research agency Voxmeter. The analysis provides a unique picture of who actually listens to jazz in Denmark. How can organizers, musicians, and organizations use this knowledge in practice — and does it align with the reality of the live venues? Can new insights help us create new live concepts, strengthen relationships with existing audiences, and at the same time open doors to new target groups?

• 14:30–15:15
  A better gender balance in jazz – what can you do tomorrow? A concrete and action-oriented conversation about a complex challenge.
  Moderator: Anders Ørbæk (Head of Studies at The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg)
  Panelists: Hjalte Ross (Venue Coordinator at Huset i Hasserisgade), Bea Fonnesbech (Team Leader at KODA Kultur), Mette Marie Ørnstrup (Musician, organizer and board member of Jazz Danmark), and Kenneth Dahl Knudsen (Musician and Organizer). 

  The report Dansk Jazz i Tal 2025 shows that gender balance in Danish jazz is the most unequal among the genres included in the National Touring Support Scheme’s data. In the past three years, four major reports have been published on the causes of this imbalance. In this conversation, voices from multiple levels of the music scene are invited to share their perspectives on how — based on existing knowledge and experience — we can work purposefully and concretely to create change.

• 15:30–16:15
  Danish jazz turns 100 – what could happen if we take jazz heritage seriously?
  Moderator: Tobias Bendixen (Communications Coordinator at Jazz Danmark)
  Presentation: Ole Bisbjerg (Initiator of the guide to Danish jazz collections)
  Panelists: Bibi Henriksen Saugman (Director of Kunsthal Spritten and board member of the Center for Danish Jazz History), Frederik Birket-Smith (Director of STRØM), and Fimmer Engel (Producer for DR Big Band). 

  Danish jazz is vibrant, thriving, and internationally recognized. Its 100-year history gives reason to secure jazz’s place in the collective consciousness and on the cultural-political agenda. The Danish jazz collections have just been mapped and include more than 60 large and small collections across the country. What could happen if we take jazz’s cultural heritage seriously?

• 16:15–17:00
  After the final panel discussion, there will be time for open networking in Lille VEGA.

Sign up for Jazz+ here

Overall program for December 2

Jazz+ and DMA Jazz 2025 at VEGA

• 13:00–17:00: Jazz+ – networking and industry day for jazz, Lille VEGA. Participation is free. Registration required here.
• 17:30–18:45: Communal dinner at La Neta Vesterbro (self-payment)
• 20:00–22:00 (doors open at 19:00): Danish Music Awards Jazz 2025, Store VEGA. Buy your tickets here.

After the show, the party continues in Ideal Bar. Kresten Osgood will host, and admission to the afterparty is free.

The photo at the top is from Jazz+ 2024. Photo: Peter von Freiesleben.