The JAZZ SAALFELDEN WEEKENDER went off successfully

After months without art and culture and after the announced easing of the Covid19 measures at the end of May, we immediately decided to give a strong sign of life from ourselves, to spread optimism and confidence and to please people with a concert weekend. And then it was born, the idea for the Jazz Saalfelden Weekender: A festival in the usual form with a main stage in the large hall of the Congress and a large stage on the town square was unfortunately not possible for the occasion, but at least a musical happening last weekend, from 20 .-23. August 2020 with music for everyone, from jazz to pop, on the stage.

Arch. DI Wolfgang Hartl, responsible for programming the jazz festival, said: “After we had to cancel our originally planned festival on April 17th, we started all over again at the end of May following the relaxation regulations of the federal government. The decision was not difficult for us. Especially since it was also the wish of the Salzburg state government and the Federal Chancellery and wanted to support the already troubled cultural scene. Another reason was to finally offer live performed music again in Saalfelden Leogang and that for free. Apart from that, a summer without jazz would have been inconceivable for us anyway! "

The concerts took place in the city park, in the Kunsthaus Nexus, on alpine pastures, in the Ritzen Castle Museum, in the 'Ranch', on the roof terrace of the Congress and in the well-known Fuchs bookbindery. For the first time, the church - thanks to our Pastor Alois Moser - became a stage and great jazz greats like Manu Delago and Lorenz Raab enchanted the audience in this special location. An additional highlight were the musical hikes on the Asitz in Leogang, with sunshine and a fantastic view. On Friday and Saturday we hiked with the Austrian musician Lukas Kranzelbinder, who has been an integral part of the line-up for several years.

Guests at the weekend were Mario Rom's Interzone, "Training" with Max Andrzejewski & Johnny Schleiermacher, Astrid & Beate Wiesinger in Duo 4675, Fabian Rucker, Katharina Ernst, Die Strottern & Blech, Voodoo Jürgens, Fuzzman, Mira Lu Kovacs, Cari Cari, Ankathie Koi, Neon and The Deons, and many more ... A program with musicians from all over the world was not possible due to the current travel restrictions. Mario Steidl, the artistic director of the jazz festival: “When it came to programming, it was particularly important to me that we make a musical happening for everyone. A festival that aims to spread confidence, joy and some cultural normality. Culture connects and I think that our society currently has a very high need for connecting elements. It should therefore not only be a festival for jazz fans, but also meet a broader taste and also take people who are not so at home with jazz. For this reason, the stages in the Nexus and in the park were stylistically programmed with jazz and pop alike. In the bookbinding and in the church the program was clearly based on jazz / improvised music, especially with musicians from Austria. I think, despite everything, we managed to invite the crème de la crème (or a part of it) of the young Austrian jazz scene and to portray it a little. "

As a result, Saalfelden once again became a city of music in the midst of the mountains - spreading confidence, optimism and joy with a lot of culture. Regardless of this, we took the current situation very seriously, which is why the many concerts only took place with a limited number of visitors. Marco Pointner, the organizer of the Saalfelden Jazz Festival, explains: “With our COVID-19 representative Markus Schwaiger from EcoService + Consulting, we have developed a comprehensive concept that guaranteed the highest possible level of security for visitors, artists and employees on the event site. This year it was therefore mandatory to register for the concerts in advance. The tickets were scanned contactlessly on site, mouth and nose protection had to be worn by all employees and the audience, the 1m distance rule and much more applied. The audience showed a lot of understanding and was very grateful that we organized such a great festival despite the numerous measures. "

The date for 2021 has already been set: the 41st International Jazz Festival Saalfelden will take place from August 19 to 22, 2021 - We look forward to seeing you again!