The Jazz in Church Festival returns to Bucharest for its 11th edition, taking place from April 23 to 26, 2026, at the Lutheran Church. This year’s program brings together leading international jazz and contemporary music artists, offering four concert evenings built around improvisation, dialogue and sound exploration.
The 2026 edition offers a program built around some of the most important names in international jazz, including two Grammy Award-winning artists, Bill Frisell and Grégoire Maret.
The artistic selection is complemented by tribute concerts dedicated to film music, as well as contemporary reinterpretations of European musical traditions, in a program that emphasizes dialogue, improvisation and stylistic diversity.
Jazz in Church 2026 Program
Thursday, April 23, 7:00 p.m
Luciano Biondini (accordion) / Klaus Falschlunger (sitar)
The duo Once in a Blue Moon brings together European jazz, improvisation and influences from Indian music. Their music is built from mutual listening, space and detail, in a coherent and mature discourse. Luciano Biondini is one of the most appreciated accordionists on the European scene, and Klaus Falschlunger is known for his work at the intersection of jazz and traditional Indian music.
Sokratis Sinopoulos (lyra) / Yann Keerim (piano)
The Topos project (ECM Records) explores the relationship between folklore and contemporary language, including improvisations inspired by Béla Bartók’s six Romanian Folk Dances. Sinopoulos returns to Jazz in Church after his appearance in the 2024 edition, alongside Greek pianist and composer Yann Keerim.
Friday, April 24, 7:00 p.m.
Gregoire Maret (harmonica) / Romain Collin (piano)
A duo project built around the music of Ennio Morricone, approached in a personal, chamber-jazz reading. The concert proposes a sober and clear reinterpretation of an iconic repertoire, preserving the original spirit without pursuing formal fidelity.
Bill Frisell (electric guitar) / Eyvind Kang (viola)
The highlight of the edition. Bill Frisell, one of the major figures of American jazz in the last four decades, returns in an open duo, based on flexible repertoire and extensive improvisation. Together with violist and composer Eyvind Kang, Frisell constructs concerts that change from night to night, depending on the context and the audience.
Saturday, April 25, 7:00 p.m.
Răzvan Filip Cipca (guitar) / Alexandru Olteanu (piano)
A Romanian duo that brings the musical traditions of the past into a current language, oriented towards the future. Răzvan Cipcă’s compositions are at the intersection of several styles, united by the expressive freedom of jazz.
Jacky Terrasson (piano)
One of Europe’s leading jazz pianists, winner of the Thelonious Monk Competition and Blue Note Records artist, Jacky Terrasson is renowned for his balance between tradition, virtuosity and improvisational freedom.
Yom (clarinet) x Ceccaldi (violin, cello)
French trio that explores contemporary jazz through expansive constructions and progressive buildups of tension. Their music, constructed as a single continuous movement, approaches a form of sonic trance.
Sunday, April 26, 7:00 p.m.
Shai Maestro (piano)
One of the most acclaimed pianists of contemporary jazz, with albums released on ECM Records and produced by Manfred Eicher, the Maestro presents his solo project Solo: Miniatures & Tales, a concentrated discourse between composition and improvisation.
Julia Biel (piano, vocals, bass guitar, drums, percussion)
British vocalist and pianist, performing as a quartet. Her music combines jazz with songwriting and improvisation, in a concert focused on groove, structure and expressive clarity.
The first 100 tickets are priced at 225 RON per evening. Subsequent tickets are 250 RON per evening.
The Evangelical Church of the Augustan Confession in Bucharest, known primarily as the Lutheran Church, is located in sector 1 of Bucharest, on Luterană Street no. 2, near the Palace Hall and the Romanian Athenaeum.
If you want to enjoy jazz played in some of the most enchanting Bucharest churches, you can’t miss this edition of Jazz in Church.
