BMW Welt Jazz Award 2016

Munich. The second month of the BMW Welt Jazz Award kicks off with the “Stefano Battaglia Trio” on February 14, 2016. On the following Sunday, February 21, it’s the turn of the “Stucky-Doran-Studer-Tacuma: Play Hendrix!” ensemble to give a free matinee concert in the Double Cone at BMW Welt. Musicians from Italy, Switzerland and the USA will be presenting their exciting interpretations of major artists based on this year's motto of “Inspired by Legends”. After the last matinee in March a jury will decide which two of the six participating acts will perform in the final concert in the Auditorium on May 7 for a chance to win the 10,000 euro first prize.

The Italian “Stefano Battaglia Trio”, consisting of pianist Stefano Battaglia, bass player Salvatore Maiore and drummer Roberto Dani, will be performing on February 14 in the Double Cone at BMW Welt. The trio share a fascination for film scores and setting literary works to music. In their latest album, “In the Morning”, they devoted their energies to the musical legacy of Alec Wilder, the late American theater and film composer. This continues the success of their “Songways” album in which they impressed the public and critics alike with interpretations of great authors – from Homer to Edgar Allan Poe – and with the compositional signature of the Italian writer-director Pier Paolo Pasolini.

On February 21 the spotlight moves onto the American-Swiss quartet “Stucky-Doran-Studer-Tacuma: Play Hendrix!” with their Hendrix project, which has become something of a landmark on the European scene. The initiator and heart of the project, which has seen several lineups over the years, is guitarist Christy Doran who has been fusing the influences of rock legend Jimi Hendrix with complex jazz rhythms for almost 25 years. At BMW Welt he will be joined by the charming singer and performer Erika Stucky, American bass player Jamaaladeen Tacuma and powerful drummer Fredy Studer from Switzerland in their attempt to reach the final. The group promise a mixture of grooves and avant-garde jazz.

Programme of BMW Welt Jazz Award 2016

Matinees: 11 am to c.1:30 pm at the double-coned structure of BMW Welt:

January 24, 2016       Dieter Ilg: Mein Beethoven

January 31, 2016       Oded Tzur Quartet

February 14, 2016     Stefano Battaglia Trio

February 21, 2016     Stucky-Doran-Studer-Tacuma: Play Hendrix!

February 28, 2016     Latham-Carniaux-Egan: Constellations

March 20, 2016         Indra Rios-Moore

Admission is free of charge but seating is limited. Tickets are subject to availability. Doors open at 10.30 am.

Grand finale at the auditorium of BMW Welt at 7 pm

May 7, 2016               Final concert featuring the two nominated finalists

Tickets for the grand finale on May 7, 2016, will be available as of January 24, 2016, at BMW Welt and München Ticket.

As in previous years, the programme will be hosted by Beate Sampson, jazz expert and editor at the German broadcasting station “BR-KLASSIK”.

Jury

The distinguished panel of expert jurors will be headed by Oliver Hochkeppel (journalist for music and cultural affairs at the German daily “Süddeutsche Zeitung”) and will include the following members:

Roland Spiegel, editor at the music desk and jazz expert at the German broadcasting station Bayerischer Rundfunk “BR-KLASSIK“

Andreas Kolb, editor-in-chief of the magazines “JazzZeitung” and “neue musikzeitung” and co-publisher of the new music magazine “SILBERHORN“

Heike Lies, musicologist, Music and Music Theatre Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the state capital Munich

Christiane Böhnke-Geisse, Artistic Director of the international jazz festival “Bingen swingt”

This edition of the BMW Welt Jazz Award will once again enjoy the generous support of BR-KLASSIK, the new music magazine SILBERHORN, resort Schloss Elmau and the Department of Cultural Affairs of the city of Munich.

Photographic material is available from the BMW PressClub ( www.press.bmwgroup.com) and via LoeschHundLiepold Kommunikation GmbH on behalf of BMW Welt Corporate and Governmental Affairs

(Telephone: +49-89-720187-15, E-Mail: bmw-welt@lhlk.de )

If you have any queries, please contact:

LoeschHundLiepold Kommunikation GmbH

On behalf of BMW Welt

Anja Bauriedel

Phone: +49-89-720187-15

mailto: bmw-welt@lhlk.de

For further questions please contact:

Dr Thomas Girst

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Head of Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-24753

Leonie Laskowski

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-45382

Bernhard Ederer

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Spokesperson BMW Welt

Telephone: +49-89-382-28556

www.press.bmwgroup.com

Email: presse@bmw.de

About BMW’s Cultural Commitment

For more than 40 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on modern and contemporary art, jazz and classical music as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group's Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, Zubin Metha, Daniel Barenboim and Anna Netrebko have co-operated with BMW. The company has also commissioned famous architects such as Karl Schwanzer, Zaha Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au to design important corporate buildings and plants. In 2011, the BMW Guggenheim Lab, a global initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the Guggenheim Museum and the BMW Group celebrated its world premiere in New York. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities – as this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.

Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview

BMW Welt – at the heart of the brand, on the pulse of the city

With more than 3 million visitors in 2015, BMW Welt in Munich is Bavaria's most visited attraction and has become a real magnet for visitors since its opening in 2007. With its iconic architecture, BMW Welt is the heart of all the brands in the BMW Group – BMW, the sub-brands BMW M and BMW i, MINI, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and BMW Motorrad, which are impressively presented in their own worlds of experience. But it is not only the exhibitions and the collection of new vehicles that are highlights for car lovers from all over the world. Visitors can enjoy a year-round programme of varied events covering culture, art and entertainment as well as a popular event location for over 400 external events per year.
The various restaurants of the BMW Welt offer a variety of culinary delights up to star gastronomy. In the BMW Welt Junior Campus, children and youngsters can enjoy exciting guided tours and workshops on the themes of mobility and sustainability.

The BMW Group

With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2015, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.247 million cars and nearly 137,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2014 was approximately € 8.71 billion on revenues amounting to € 80.40 billion. As of 31 December 2014, the BMW Group had a workforce of 116,324 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

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