A hundred years ago, the Danish-born drummer Svend Erik Schmidt – better known as Whitey Smith – travelled by steamship to Shanghai, becoming the first jazz musician in China. This October, Jazz Danmark celebrates the anniversary with a major cultural initiative.

When the first notes sound at DDC in Beijing on October 9th, it will mark the start of a month-long Danish jazz presence in central China. Musicians from this year’s Summer Session China faculty will perform a concert to open the event, which also serves as the first of many Danish jazz concerts taking place across China in October 2025.

Three years of Summer Session China – New city, bigger event

This year, the jazz musician camp Summer Session China moves to the city of Weifang, located just outside Beijing. Here, a Danish faculty, an international guest artist, and four Nordic participants will build new connections with over 60 Chinese participants attending this year’s camp.

The 2025 faculty includes Anders AC Christensen, Sinne Eeg, Jacob Christoffersen, Henrik Holst Hansen, and Jakob Roland. This year’s international guest artist is George Garzone. The four Nordic participants Ronja Rose Andersson, Teis Ortved, Jacob Tjernström, and Adam Lorentzi together form the band MUSViT.

Danish-Chinese collaboration takes flight

Two of this year’s faculty members, Jakob Roland and Henrik Holst Hansen, took part in the first Summer Session China in 2023, where they met Chinese guzheng player Lucy Luan. Together, they began a collaboration that is now heading into its third tour.

Lucy Luan participated in the Danish Summer Session in 2024, followed by a Danish tour and album recording with Roland and Holst Hansen’s duo ArtRoho and Danish pianist Nikolaj Kopp Korneup. The group later toured China, and now the project returns as ArtRoho and joins the faculty at this year’s Summer Session China, followed by a 10-concert tour across the country.

Festival collaborations and conference participation in Shanghai

After this year’s Summer Session China, the faculty and project team will travel to Shanghai, where Jazz Danmark will participate in the IMX music conference. Additionally, China’s oldest existing jazz festival, the JZ Jazz Festival, will feature Danish jazz on its program, with performances by Sinne Eeg, Jacob Christoffersen, Anders AC, Janus Templeton, and Martin Schack.

Summer Session China is supported by the S.C. Van Foundation and Dynaudio China.