Exchange project at the Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood in Dammarie-Les-Lys, France March 14-18, 2022

Direction: Rubinho Antunes

From March 14 to 18, 2022, we - Sebastian Kölbl (class of Prof. Claus Reichstaller), lead trumpet; Anaga Garcia (class of Thomas Horch) and I, Prof. Tizian Jost (HF jazz piano) - had the great pleasure of participating as guests in "European Big Band" project south of Paris. To our surprise, all pandemic measures had already been lifted in France as of Monday, March 14, which felt a bit unfamiliar but was also a relief.

This annual event is organized by our partner institution Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood. It is a privately-run academy in the town of Dammarie-Les-Lys on the Île de France (about 40km south of Paris), where renowned instructors and professors from the Paris jazz scene teach.

Participants of the project are recruited from CMDL students and students from all over Europe (this time Norway, Portugal, Belgium and Germany). The big band was led by Brazilian trumpeter and arranger Rubinho Antunes, who has been working in France for several years from his adopted home of Lyon. He brought with him a charming selection of arrangements from Brazil, which the students "tried out" with great commitment and considerable success. The Brazilian big band tradition is independent and very diverse. The project week was rounded off with two concerts. The first on-site at the Espace Nino Ferrer, the cultural center of the city of Dammarie-Les-Lys. The second in the concert hall "Le Bal Blomet" near the legendary Parisian district of Montparnasse.

A very gratifying personal moment was the reunion with my highly-esteemed colleagues Peter Hertmans from Belgium and Mássimo Cavalli from Portugal. To complement the project week, we each conducted two ensembles consisting of CMDL students.

In conclusion: one of many special highlights in the calendar of an academic year and we hope the event will be repeated many times over the coming years.

Prof. Tizian Jost, Jazz Institute of the HMTM

Comments of participating student Sebastian Kölbl (lead trumpet):

"Very intense - just right - extremely rich in musical, as well as interpersonal/human moments."

"Musically there were also many great impressions and surprises – e.g. the jam session after an 8h rehearsal day: everyone was there, everyone played. Even our conductor from Brazil. I expected a lot before - but not that. Very lively, art."