Classical music and jazz– two musical worlds that rarely come together. In spring 2026, the German National Youth Orchestra and the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra will take precisely this step: under the baton of Jonathan Stockhammer, Germany's best young musicians will celebrate the interplay of jazz and classical music in a unique concert program. The soloist for the program is Guadeloupe-born singer Malika Tirolien.
The program combines well-known, rarely heard compositions and world premieres from both genres: Wynton Marsalis' “Manhattan to L.A.” and a new arrangement of Darius Milhaud's “La Création du Monde” fuse classical forms with jazzy rhythms, while Sofia Gubaidulina's rarity “Revue Music” and Duke Ellington's legendary “Night Creatures” fill the stage with pure energy. The audience experiences early musical sounds with three episodes from Leonard Bernstein's “On the Town” before the world premiere of “Sledgehammer reloaded” by Libor Šíma brings fresh drive to the concert. Singer Malika Tirolien crowns the program with the expressive “Grow Suite”—a compilation of Bokanté songs and tracks from her current album, arranged by Stefan Behrisch. “This project shows that musical genres set no limits on the creativity of young artists. Classical and jazz merge into a unique listening experience that I am sure will delight everyone,” says Sönke Lentz, Head of Orchestra at the German Music Council.
Programme:
Wynton Marsalis: „Manhattan to L.A.“ (Swing Symphony, Movemente IV), 2019
Darius Milhaud / Fabia Mantwill: „La Création du Monde“, 1923/2026
Sofia Gubaidulina: „Revue Music“, 1976/1995/2002
Duke Ellington: „Night Creatures“, 1955
Leonard Bernstein: Three Dance Episodes from „On the Town“, 1944
Libor Šíma: Sledgehammer reloaded (Uraufführung), 2026 (Commissioned composition by the German Music Council, made possible by the Prof. Dr. Ernst Langner Foundation)
Malika Tirolien / Stefan Behrisch: „Grow-Suite“, 2017-2021/2026 (The arrangement is a co-production with the National Arts Centre Ottawa, Canada.)
Artists:
Malika Tirolien (Vocals)
National Jazz Orchestra
National Youth Orchestra of Germany
Jonathan Stockhammer (Conductor)
Sebastian Sternal (Rehearsal Bujazzo)
Concerts:
6 April, 11:00 am: Baden-Baden – Festspielhaus
7 April: Cologne – WDR (recording)
8 April: Cologne – WDR (recording)
9 April, 7:00 pm: Osnabrück – OsnabrückHalle
10 April, 7:00 pm: Köln – Philharmonie
11 April, 7:00 pm: Berlin – Philharmonie
12 April, 5:00 pm: Bielefeld – Rudolf-Oetker-Halle
14 April, 8:00 pm: München – Isarphilharmonie
16 April, 7:30 pm: Aschaffenburg – Stadthalle am Schloss
17 April, 7:30 pm: Bayreuth – Friedrichsforum
18 April, 7:00 pm: Ludwigsburg – Forum am Schlosspark
Concert talk:
20 April, 7:30 pm: Hamburg – JazzHall
Concert talk in cooperation with the Prof. Dr. Ernst Langner Foundation with Libor Šíma, Jonathan Stockhammer and Sebastian Sternal, as well as members of the National Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra
