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The National Youth Jazz Orchestra This is the Young Orange of jazz!

Jaïnda Buiter. Pepijn Mouwen. Celia Matamoro. These three top musical talents were part of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in 2022, together with 17 others. The orchestra considers itself to be the Young Orange of jazz. And that’s not without reason.

These budding professional jazz musicians are all aged 26 or younger. They have been carefully selected to be part of the orchestra and follow a two-year development programme. During this they do not only receive musical coaching. They also attend a range of workshops that will help advance their careers.

An opportunity for the new crop

Once every two years, the orchestra is renewed, offering another opportunity to a new generation of musicians. Many have preceded them, such as the present top talents Kika Sprangers, Jasper van Damme and Stephanie Francke. The conducting artistic director is replaced every two years. In 2022, it was saxophone player, composer and bandleader Maarten Hogenhuis. Among his predecessors were Ruben Hein, Eric Vloeimans and nestor Peter Guidi.

Touring popular festivals

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra tours several prominent venues and popular festivals. It has performed at TivoliVredenburg and the BIMHUIS, and was also present at the North Sea Jazz Festival. The tour generates the necessary media attention. The orchestra also participates in national and international collaborative projects.

Hogenhuis has compiled a programme for the band, made up of existing repertoire but principally based on new compositions. Band members internalise these during a number of rehearsals. In the meantime, they are given workshops about the best way to promote themselves. They are also prepared for the business side of the profession. Furthermore, they are taught how to make the most of networks (which they will be developing over the two years). ‘It’s just like a pressure cooker with all of the ingredients needed for the future,’ explains one of the participants.

Developing your own signature

‘Many young musicians typically already have enormous mastery of their instrument. But how do you turn that into music that will reach your own personal audience? What do you convey when playing a solo? Or how do you actually present the music on stage? Developing one’s own signature is so important. As a musician, you can never start that early enough.’

Maarten Hogenhuis, Artistic Director National Youth Jazz Orchestra

The beauty is: it is not just these young talents that get a growth surge. They also provide a tremendous boost to Dutch jazz through their passion and enjoyment. And their tour is a source of inspiration for other young jazz musicians. Moreover, younger audiences are given the chance to adjust what is often considered to be the ‘stuffy’ image of jazz.

Listen on Spotify to the Album Avalanche by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Maarten Hogenhuis.