Istanbul Jazz Festival returns to the city for the 32nd time. The festival brings together groundbreaking artists who have revolutionised the global music scene with their innovative and experimental styles, drawing inspiration from the liberating spirit of jazz. The festival will host over 200 local and foreign musicians from world-renowned masters to rising talents at nearly 40 concerts over 17 days.
6-time Grammy winner Afro-Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdés, pioneers in the revival of Latin guitar-heavy music Hermanos Gutiérrez and Max Richter, a British composer and pianist who bridged electronic and contemporary classical music, will perform in the first three days of the festival. The Jazz Boat will take jazz lovers to a Bosphorus tour full of eclectic sounds while Night Out with +1 in Kadıköy and free Jazz in the Parks events will spread the joy of the festival to the city.
Throughout the festival, audiences will enjoy a wide range of performances. Grammy-winning Meshell Ndegeocello will present her new album dedicated to James Baldwin, which garnered the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album last February. One of the most captivating pianists of recent years, Grégory Privat, will perform songs from his album Phoneix, featuring one of Türkiye’s esteemed trumpet players Tolga Bilgin. Vocalist Chiara Civello will greet audiences with Canzoni Deluxe Edition and will be supported by the opening performance of three young talents: Hakan Başar, hailed by jazz legend Chick Corea as a key figure carrying his legacy forward, joined by Italian double bass player and composer Michelangelo Scandroglio and accomplished drummer Enes Yeldemir. Jazzmeia Horn, known for pushing the limits of jazz with her groundbreaking compositions will grace the festival stage. The line-up also includes Brazilian bossa nova artist Rogê, Meltem Ege with her new album Solitude, and the Kerem Görsev Quintet performing pieces from Clear Horizon.
As the weather warms up and the city comes alive, the festival offers the perfect opportunity to explore its most charming and historically significant landmarks. Among these, the Esma Sultan Mansion, Palais de France, and the garden of the Consulate General of Italy stand out as centuries old gems to host enchanting nights full of delightful melodies. The most magical open air performance venue of Istanbul located right at the heart of the city, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre will host the festival. In the festival’s traditional Night Out with +1 event, audiences will once again stroll in the warmth of a Kadıköy evening in pursuit of good music from Istanbul and around the world.
Festival programme
Opening Concert: Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet
Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre
Tuesday 1 July
Cuban pianist, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés is a towering figure in Afro-Cuban jazz. He revolutionised Cuban music by founding Irakere in 1973, blending African rhythms with jazz and introducing Cuban dance music to percussion instruments like the batá. With a career spanning decades, Valdés has won 6 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy Awards.
Hermanos Gutiérrez
Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre
Wednesday 2 July
Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez brothers have captivated audiences with their evocative Latin guitar music. Since their debut album, 8 Años (2017), they have crafted a distinctive soundscape that evokes the deserts of their heritage, relying solely on two guitars without vocals. The duo gained international acclaim with albums like El Camino De Mi Alma (2018) and Sonido Cósmico (2024), produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Their performance at Coachella last summer was hailed by Rolling Stone as a ‘hallucinogenic energy-filled soundscape.’
Max Richter
Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre
Thursday 3 July
Celebrated composer and pianist Max Richter will perform in Istanbul for the first time. Known for his innovative fusion of classical and electronic music, Richter has created scores for films and TV series such as Shutter Island, Arrival, The Leftovers, Black Mirror, and The Last of Us. Richter’s setlist will include pieces from his latest acoustically rich album, In A Landscape, which explores the intersection of human and nature, as well as selections from The Blue Notebooks, a seminal work in contemporary classical music.
Grégory Privat “Phoenix” feat. Tolga Bilgin
Palais de France
Friday 4 July
Grégory Privat was fascinated by the infinite possibilities of jazz after being trained as a classical musician and he manages to create divergent universes with each album by expanding tradition into the future. With his flawless technique, a musical sense that spans a wide spectrum including modern swing, chamber music-style jazz and electronic fusion, and solo improvisations that are considered by many to be among the “best,” Grégory Privat is coming to Istanbul for one of the most exciting performances of the festival. Privat will be accompanied by Turkish trumpet player Tolga Bilgin.
Chiara Civello // Hakan Başar Trio feat. Michelangelo Scandroglio
The Garden of the Consulate General of Italy
Saturday 5 July
Described by Tony Bennett as “the best jazz singer of her generation”, Italian musician Chiara Civello has been drawing inspiration from a wide range of pop, jazz, cabaret and Latin music since her first album, but the influence of jazz is always felt in her works. In 2014, she released her album Canzoni, in which she interpreted Italian love songs, blending Italian melodies with jazz, soul and bossa nova. Civello is coming to the festival with her quintet for a performance full of melancholy, love, passion and romance. The event will be held in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute.
Young Turkish talent Hakan Başar will open the night at the Italian Consulate with Italian bass player Michelangelo Scandroglio. Born in 2004, pianist Hakan Başar has already made a place for himself in the future of jazz piano with his energetic compositions and the praise he has received from global masters. Michelangelo Scandroglio, who will accompany him on the double bass in this concert, is one of Italy’s young talents with many awards he has won throughout his career.
Jazzmeia Horn
Sultan Park – Swissôtel The Bosphorus
Monday 7 July
Jazzmeia Horn is rapidly rising in the jazz world with her innovative compositions, successful scat and spoken word techniques and wide-ranging vocals. The American singer enriches the traditional building blocks of music with modern touches, themes and styles, expanding the boundaries of jazz with her fusion of neo-soul. She was nominated for Grammys three times with the three albums she released.
Meshell Ndegeocello
Sultan Park – Swissôtel The Bosphorus
Tuesday 8 July
Meshell Ndegeocello released No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, an album inspired by legendary American writer James Baldwin, this year and won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album in February. It was a project she has been working on since 2016, focusing on the existential entrapment of being black in America, on the author’s 100th birthday. Ndegeocello will perform at Sultan Park – Swissôtel The Bosphorus, overlooking the view the author observed during his years in Istanbul.
A Brazilian Night: Rogê
The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion
Wednesday 9 July
Bringing traditional Brazilian music to the world stage, Rogê is visiting the festival for his first Turkey concert with the timeless samba spirit and joy of Rio. Roger José Cury, known as Rogê, began his unstoppable rise then he moved from Rio de Janeiro to Los Angeles and met American producer Thomas Brenneck. Rogê’s style, which blends traditional Brazilian rhythms with modern influences, is timeless and fresh. The free spirit of his homeland, the scorching sun of Ipenama, the rebellion of Afro-Brazilian communities, are carried from Rio’s clubs to the world with his style accompanied by lively rhythms. A favorite of music critics from KCWR to Gilles Peterson, Rogê will bring samba sunshine and carnival joy to the festival this summer. SNOC is the performance sponsor.
Meltem Ege & Friends
Alfresco Garden – Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Thursday 10 July
Having represented Türkiye in many competitions abroad in the early stages of her career, jazz vocalist, composer and pianist Meltem Ege is considered one of the greatest names of the international jazz community. She teaches at the California Institute of the Arts and combines her classical piano background and jazz vocal expertise with experimental music and theater. In addition to carrying out international projects, Ege has accompanied many symphony orchestras as a soloist and performed at prestigious jazz festivals and concert halls.
Kerem Görsev Quintet “Clear Horizon”
Alfresco Garden – Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Friday 11 July
Pianist and composer Kerem Görsev’s contributions to Türkiye’s jazz scene range from compositions he arranged for his trio he founded in 1987 to orchestra arrangements, performances with master musicians, and television and radio programs he made about jazz. The 8 compositions he collected in his latest album Clear Horizon were inspired by the silhouettes reflected in the waters of Lake Como in the morning calm, and its name was borrowed from Alfred Hitchcock’s definition of happiness: a clear horizon where there is nothing distracting or worrying, only the existence of creativity. Now, five masters of the quintet are taking the stage to celebrate the happiness of existence.
A radiant Kadıköy night: Night Out with +1
This packed two-night event in Kadıköy will host a series of performances from astonishing talents at Moda Sahnesi and Kadıköy Sineması. Grammy award-winning Snarky Puppy’s percussion duo Robert “Sput” Searight, Nate Werth’s funk band Ghost-Note and Grammy-nominated composer, multi-instrumentalist and jazz pianist Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol will perform on 16 July, Wednesday among others. Amsterdam/New Zealand-based MY BABY, Austrian indie rock duo Cari Cari, Turkish singer Seda Erciyes and others will perform on 17 July, Thursday with +1 as the performance supporter.
The Jazz Boat: A jazz event unique to Istanbul
The sound of the ferry whistle, the cry of seagulls, the unique view of the Peninsula… In this indispensable event of the Istanbul Jazz Festival, each section of the ferry transforms into a different stage, offering the audience jazz, dance, and excitement. The Jazz Boat will sail from Kabataş Pier at 11.00 on Sunday, July 13, along the Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavağı, bringing the audience together with jazz and swing on the Bosphorus. Istanbul-based brass quintet Brassist, Ragtime and Dixieland-influenced singer and clarinet player Kamucan Yalçın and his band, and New Orleans and Dixieland blues musician Kaan Arslan Co will perform at the Jazz Boat. The event will be held in collaboration with Istanbul City Lines, Şehir Hatları.
Jazz in the Parks
One of the most enjoyable events of the Istanbul Jazz Festival, Jazz in the Parks once again invites all music lovers to the parks. Bands from Türkiye and the world will take the stage, transforming parks into festival grounds for a day. Detailed schedule will be announced soon at the festival website.
Festival talks
The Garanti BBVA Jazz Talks will continue this year with three sessions to be held in Salt Beyoğlu in April and May, in anticipation of the festival. Detailed information and the schedule of the talks can be found at the festival website.
