Jazz Danmark’s Summer Session

Introduction

Jazz Danmark’s gathering for jazz musicians is a tradition-rich course held every August, bringing together professional jazz musicians and a faculty of top international jazz artists. The purpose of the project is to provide continuing education for professional musicians and to facilitate new connections between them.

Application

The dates for Summer Session 2025 are Sunday, August 3 – Saturday, August 9.
Read more about this year’s event and apply here.

Contact

Camilla Juul Kjærgaard

Project Manager (Maternity Leave from 7/3 2025)

+45 33 45 43 00

camilla@jazzdanmark.dk

Lars Thor Jensen

Project Manager

+45 33 45 43 00

ltj@jazzdanmark.dk

Continuing education

For professional jazz musicians

Summer Session is a unique educational event for Danish professional jazz musicians. The event takes place annually in August, featuring renowned international jazz artists as instructors. Over the years, legends such as Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, NHØP, Roy Haynes, Bobby Hutcherson, John Patitucci, Paul Bley, Yusef Lateef, Bill Frisell, and Geri Allen have taught at the Summer Session. The course not only builds new networks among Danish and international musicians, but also offers participants fresh inspiration and challenges.

The artistic director of Summer Session in Denmark is Nikolaj Hess.

What do you get out of participating in Summer Session?

  • Networking, solidarity, new collaborations, and the development of musical projects among Danish jazz musicians.
  • Opportunities for new partnerships with international experts.
  • Continuing education alongside other professional jazz musicians.
  • A week offering a good balance of teaching sessions, masterclasses, rotations between instructors, individual assignments, and “homework” in a unique setting for focus and concentration.
  • A break from your busy life as a musician.

From Vallekilde to China

Summer Session started in 1968 at Vallekilde Højskole and is currently held at Krogerup Højskole in Humlebæk, north of Copenhagen. Recently the educational project has also been exported to China, where it takes place yearly in Qinhuangdao during the years 2023-2026. Read more about Summer Session China here.

Jazz Danmark’s Summer Session 2024

Den kinesiske studerende Lucy Luan i samtale med 2024-fakultetsmedlem David Murray

Summer Session creates connections between musicians across continents. Photo: Peter von Freiesleben

Krogerup Højskole har siden 2017 lagt hus til det traditionsrige jazzstævne Summer Session

Faculty

Who has taught at Summer Session?

Since 1997 the course’s primary aim has been to further educate professional musicians. Below is a list of faculty members over the years.

elena pinderhughes

News • 28.05.2025

Summer Session 2025 is open for applications

Registration is now open for this year’s Summer Session. It will be an intensive week of immersion, inspiration, and professional development with a faculty of prominent international musicians.
Jazz Danmarks Summer Session

News • 09.07.2024

Jazz gatherings for young musical talents and professional musicians are just around the corner.

From July 21st to 30th, 70 musicians under 18 will take over Klejtrup Musikefterskole for the jazz gathering Jazzdalen. After that, it’s the professionals turn, as Jazz Danmark’s Summer Session fills Krogerup Folk High School with jazz musicians from both Denmark and abroad from August 4th to 10th.

News • 17.05.2024

The Augustinus Foundation supports Danish jazz with a million-dollar grant

The Augustinus Foundation has granted DKK 1.85 million to JazzDanmark to support the strengthening of the professional Danish jazz scene from 2024 to 2026

News • 13.05.2024

Summer Session 2024 opens for applications

Summer Session 2024 is ready to open up a week full of inspiration, immersion and musical training at the highest international level. The jazz convention gathers a faculty consisting of eight skilled instructors from several jazz generations and styles and is now ready to accept applications.

News • 03.05.2023

Summer Session broadens the horizon and opens for applications

Summer Session 2023 is ready to open up a week full of musical inspiration and immersion at the highest international level! The jazz convention brings together a faculty consisting of seven skilled instructors from as many as four continents and is now ready to accept applications from professional musicians.

News • 16.05.2022

Be a part of this year’s Summer Session 2022

Application for this year’s Summer Session is now open. The event itself takes place from 7 to 13 August at Krogerup Højskole.