My name is Alex Jønsson and I\'m a Danish guitarist. I studied the NOMAZZ program in 2010-12 and so I lived two years with a suitcase and my guitar as my primary home. It was two adventurous years, with a lot of travelling, moving around and meeting new people. I really liked that. It was quite different shools and cities and I got a lot of input on both a personal and musical level – I believe I\'m still digesting the impressions and experiences today. Being in the NOMAZZ program gave me a confidence in travelling and working internationally. Also, it gave me a great network of musicians, venues etc in the Nordic countries, which I have benefitted from in my musical career since. Today I\'m playing with a.o. my own trio, my soloproject, with the Finnish singer-songwriter Mirja Klippel as well as the Danish groups \'I Think You\'re Awesome\' and \'Jakob Sørensen Bagland\'.

Over the last five years or so I have been focusing increasingly on free improvised music. In that field I co-lead the trios Zimmerlin-Stoffner-Meier and Things to Sounds, both based in Zürich, as well as a few other collaborations from duo to quartet. I have a band called Hunter-Gatherer for which I compose all the music. Recently I started to play solo concerts.

Nomazz was an eye-opening and life-changing experience for me in many ways. Leaving my home country for a while was a healthy thing to do and of course meeting all those great people in all the places during Nomazz is something that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.

I attended Nomazz program from 2011-2013. I really enjoyed the programme and i got the chance to play with a lot of good students and teachers. My first semester was in Århus Denmark, the second semester in Stockholm Sweden and the 2 remaining semesters at the Sibelius academy in Helsinki. My personal favorite was the Sibelius academy because we learned so much about the jazz tradition there. The teachers there are really skilled in the jazz tradition and you get assignments that revolves around the stylistic trademarks in 50´s and 60´s jazz and that was right up my alley. Since i´ve graduated i´ve been living in Oslo Norway. I teach in a music school for kids and i play a lot of gigs with the group Touché! and other freelance gigs.

I am Antje, a Jazz-Piano player from Berlin. I returned to my hometown in summer 2016, after having studied first in Dresden and then, inspired by an exchange semester in Stockholm, in the NOMAZZ programme. The last two years of studying in Stockholm (again), Helsinki and Århus were a huge experience that carried a lot of personal developement. I could play with many different people and also concentrate really well on practising and working on myself, guided by many good teachers. Also I had a lot of fun learning the languages.

Peedu Kass Momentum is a piano trio led by the Estonian bassist Peedu Kass. The style of this ensemble is contemporary piano trio music, with adventurous rhythms, a clear sound and a dashing stage performance. If you’re looking for a piano trio with a spark, then this is your choice! Peedu is a sought-after sideman and a prolific musician in the European jazz scene. His tours have taken him to some of the most important venues in the world. Seamus Blake, Django Bates, Tony Allen, Antonio Hart, Hayden Powell - these are just a few artists that he has worked with.

I was on the very first edition of Nomazz, starting my studies in September 2008. The Nomazz is truly an excellent programme. It supplies the students with great possibilities for making music and networking with other young musicians from all over the world, and the tools with which to start building your own international career in music. It also provides the students proper information about the ”business-side” of music.

I was born 1987 in Switzerland, Langenthal (BE). Growing up in a musician family, I started to play the violin with seven years old. After years of studying classical violin and the playing in orchestras I startet to be more interested in jazzmusic when I was 16 years old. So I decided to study jazzviolin and graduated 2011 – 2013 my bachelor in jazz at the College for Arts in Bern. After that I studied in Denmark, Sweden and Finnland in the Nomazz program (nordic master in jazz). In summer 2014 I got invited to the meeting of IASJ (International Association of Schools of Jazz), directed by David Liebman.

Often I play in a completely improvised context but also composing is very important for me and through the writing of pieces for my bands I try to find my own language. For that I use influences of classical music and jazz. Composers and musicians such as Christian Wallumrod, Steve Reich, Bela Bartok, Gil Evans, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane and Sidsel Endresen influenced my music significant.

Finnish jazz vocalist and composer Sanna Ruohoniemi started her Nomazz-journey from her home town Helsinki in the year 2014. She had just finished her first master studies in Music Education department, and now wanted to put all her focus on jazz and composition studies in different school in Nordics. The first half of year she studied with professor Jussi Kannaste, Kari Ikonen and Mia Simanainen at Sibelius Academy. On the second and the final semester she spent in Stockholm studying at Kungliga Musikhögskolan, where she studied with professors and teachers like Joakim Milder, Lina Nyberg, Irene Sjögren, Klas Nevrin, Frekdrik Ljungqvist and An- Sofie Söderqvist.

“Whole experience made enormous change in my life. Before I started Nomazz I had just finished my master studies as Music teacher. At the same time I had been working hard as singing teacher in different music schools and trying to make a living as musician too, but not really in the form I was dreaming about. Everything was working OK. But inside I knew there was much more I wanted to do and gain with my music and with my own singing. I was feeling stuck, but also insecure to leave all the jobs I already had and move to other cities.” “After making the decision to start Nomazz-studies, the stream seemed just carry through. I was really focused, motivated to learn and put an effort, meet and play with new people… I enjoyed every bit of it!”

Mette Rasmussen is a Danish saxophone player based in Trondheim, Norway. She works in the field of improvised music, drawing from a wide range of influences, spanning free jazz to textural soundwork. Rasmussen works on exploring the natural rawness of her instrument – experimenting on what the saxophone is capable of in sound and expression, with and without preparations. Much in demand, she has performed with the likes of Alan Silva, Chris Corsano, Ståle Liavik Solberg, and with her Trio Riot group with Sam Andreae and David Meier.

Elana Mindru is part of the upcoming young jazz musicians generation. Romanian of origin, she lives in Finland, currently a doctoral student within the Sibelius Academy’s Jazz Department in Helsinki. Along her career, she has been receiving many awards in jazz festivals and competitions around Europe, but the most important experience was in July 2012, in Switzerland, where she was awarded the 2nd Prize and the Public Prize by a jury presided by the great Quincy Jones, at the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition.

Lars Fiil is a pianist and composer currently living in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He has released three albums as a leader. The latest, “Everything Is A Translation”, came out in 2016. It features an international septet of some of the most interesting improvisers from the thriving jazz-scene in Copenhagen, and has received critical acclaim from all over the world. Renowned jazz—critic Adam Baruch wrote: “Overall this album is another proof that the young European improvising scene is alive and kicking like never before… not to be missed by any free Jazz fans anywhere in the world!”

Lars Fiil has performed all over the world and at various festivals such as Umeå Jazz Festival (SE), Bohemia Jazz Festival (CZ), Young Nordic Jazz Comets (FI) and 12 Points (IRL).

Besides his own projects, Lars Fiil is active on the Danish music scene in a number of different groups. Among others with the very popular indie-jazz outfit I Think You’re Awesome.

Lisa Stick is a German trombone player based in Hamburg. After finishing her studies with Dan Gottshall and Nils Landgren in Hamburg, she moved to Aarhus, Stockholm and Helsinki to complete her master’s degree called „Nordic Master“ (2013-2015).

Lisa Stick is a member of various jazz ensembles, e.g.“Downtown Bigband“,“Operation Grand Slam“,“Eine kleine Jazzmusik“ and “Gabriel Coburger’s XXL Band“. Over the years she has gained experience by playing with numerous world-class musicians, most importantly the NDR Bigband, but also including the “Jazz Baltica Ensemble 2012“, “Jazzbaltica All Star Band“ (2016 & 2017), “Peter Herbolzheimer’s Masterclass Bigband“, the “Bujazzo“(German Youth Bigband 2008-2012), Geir Lysne, Jörg Achim Keller, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Joe Gallardo,, Adam Nussbaum, Omar Sosa, the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra with Jorge Rossy and many more. In 2016 Lisa Stick went on tour with the NDR Bigband and Al Jarreau in Norway, France and Germany.

Cesar Joaniquet is emerging as an important new voice in the improvised music scene. He performs all around Scandinavian countries and Spain in various settings and formations. Rooted in the jazz tradition, he creates music that is informed by a multitude of contemporary influences resulting in a sound that is lyrical, at times orchestral, but above all current.