Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Abu Dhabi, selected as the Global Host City of the 2025 edition of International Jazz Day 2025, is getting ready for a five-week, citywide series of jazz performances, education programmes, and community events.
International Jazz Day, which is celebrated in more than 190 countries, is organised by UNESCO and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
The music festival will include the internationally broadcast International Jazz Day 2025 All-Star Global Concert on April 30 at Etihad Arena, the region's largest indoor entertainment venue.Led by iconic pianist Herbie Hancock and hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons, the concert will bring together an extraordinary line-up of renowned jazz, blues, classical, and hip-hop artists from around the world. The line-up of artists includes: Arqam Al Abri (UAE), John Beasley (USA), Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA), A Bu (China), Terri Lyne Carrington (USA), Kurt Elling (USA), José James (USA), Rhani Krija (Morocco), John McLaughlin (UK), Hélène Mercier (France/Canada), Marcus Miller (USA), Linda May Han Oh (Australia), John Pizzarelli (USA), Dianne Reeves (USA), Arturo Sandoval (USA), Naseer Shamma (Iraq), Danilo Pérez (Panama), and Varijashree Venugopal (India). Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
The concert will also be streamed live to millions around the world via UNTV, UNESCO, jazzday.com, Facebook, YouTube and other international media partners.
International Jazz Day 2025 will feature thousands of events worldwide in small towns and major cities, from intimate performances to large-scale concerts at leading cultural centers.
Artists, educators and institutions across the globe will organise masterclasses, jam sessions, panel discussions, and educational workshops, reflecting the profound impact of jazz as a unifying force.
A Full Month of Events in Abu Dhabi
Jazz Month Abu Dhabi will extend the global festivities and reinforce jazz's presence in the region. It will include live performances, pop-up concerts, workshops, artist residencies and educational events, underscoring jazz's connections to diverse musical traditions and artistic disciplines.
Activities will be held at major cultural and educational institutions including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, and New York University Abu Dhabi, along with hospitals, senior centres, children's libraries, and schools.
Special performances will highlight jazz's integration with traditional instruments such as the oud, qanoon, and ney, showcasing the ongoing dialogue between jazz and local cultural expressions.
This year's International Jazz Day also coincides with the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, a global, annual gathering that brings together a collective of creative thinkers, decision-makers, artists, designers, changemakers and leaders from the culture and creative industries.
The summit will include special programmes, including panels and conversations with Herbie Hancock and other renowned artists.
For more information about International Jazz Day 2025, visit www.jazzday.com or www.unesco.org/en/international-jazz-day
