Adelaide Festival Centre will join the annual global celebrations for UNESCO’s International Jazz Day with performances by the acclaimed Thomas Voss Big Band and Enne R. Project at Dunstan Playhouse on April 30. Tickets on sale today.
A staple event in the vibrant Adelaide jazz community, this night promises to be an unforgettable experience, led by local artists Thomas Voss and Enne Rignanese.
Since graduating from the Elder Conservatorium, Thomas Voss has established himself as one of Adelaide’s most versatile trombonists, composers, and educators, garnering national acclaim and sharing the stage with jazz icons like Vince Jones and Kate Ceberano.
Thomas has played at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Perth International Jazz Festival, and the Sydney Conservatorium International Jazz Festival. In 2017 he became the first Australian to win the International Trombone Association’s Carl Fontana Jazz Award.
Thomas Voss: “I’m very excited to bring the Big Band to the Adelaide Festival Centre. Big Band at its core is dance music – it’s about creating a rhythmic and emotional connection with the audience. The element of improvisation that comes into it means every performance is a little bit different which is unique and very exciting.”
Winner of the prestigious COMA Emerging Artist Award, Enne R. Project is renowned in Adelaide’s jazz circles. A double bassist, composer and arranger, Enne Rignanese has toured with the James Morrison Academy Big Band and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Fellows.
Enne Rignanese: “I’m really looking forward to performing at the Adelaide Festival Centre for International Jazz Day – this show is not to be missed and it’s an honour to have been selected.”
The annual International Jazz Day celebration, held globally on April 30, recognises the incredible artform of jazz and is an opportunity to celebrate Adelaide as a UNESCO City of Music.
UNESCO Adelaide City of Music General Manager Joe Hay: “Adelaide’s UNESCO City of Music designation reflects a historical and ongoing love and commitment towards music. Jazz plays an important part of Adelaide’s music story and UNESCO’s International Jazz Day is a fantastic opportunity to experience some of the best we have to offer. Adelaide City of Music congratulates Adelaide Festival Centre for its annual International Jazz Day celebration and looks forward to what is always a fantastic night of jazz.”
Adelaide was designated as a UNESCO City of Music in 2015 and is the first and only city in Australia to hold the title. The designation acknowledges the breadth, depth and vibrancy of the city’s music culture, international reach, history, aspirations, and collaborations.
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM: “We invite all South Australians to celebrate the past, present, and future of Adelaide’s jazz scene as we recognise International Jazz Day in our UNESCO City of Music.”
