বাংলাThe World Youth Jazz Team, featuring young jazz artists from different countries and led by renowned Russian jazz musician Igor Butman, has performed at the International Youth Festival.
A gala concert featuring Igor Butman and the young artists was held on Wednesday (September 16) at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Artists from Russia, China, Türkiye, South Africa, Belarus, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Kazakhstan took part in the event.
The performance brought together musicians from different countries and highlighted the diversity and shared language of international youth jazz. Organizers said the event demonstrated how music can cross geographical boundaries and create opportunities for communication and dialogue.
Butman said working with such an international team was a first for them. He expressed hope that the initiative would create new friendships and opportunities for creative exchange. He also praised the individual styles of the young artists, saying their diversity had made the team stronger.
The Moscow Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Butman, performed at the concert. They were joined by Chinese pianist A Bu, Turkish vocalist Aylin Ergel, South African vocalist Jo Modiga, Uzbek saxophonist Doniyor Rizaev, Armenian trumpeter Tigran Arutyunyan, Kazakh trumpeter Saten Nurmukhamed and Belarusian saxophonist Maksim Bakhar.
Speaking about his experience of working with young musicians, Butman said they have a strong desire to try new things, making performances with them enjoyable and exciting. He added that although the participating artists are young, they are not beginners and have already established themselves in their respective fields.
The concert featured traditional jazz as well as music connected to the cultural heritage of different countries. The artists performed an improvised jazz interpretation based on a piece from Modest Mussorgsky’s opera ‘Khovanshchina’ and also performed a song from the film ‘The Adventures of Buratino’.
Participants also performed original works influenced by their national musical traditions. South African singer Jo Modiga created a special song for the event about women’s rights. Chinese pianist A Bu said it was his sixth performance in Russia and his first outside Moscow.
Butman also spoke about the future of jazz, noting that although some people once predicted the genre’s decline, more musicians are entering jazz and the number of jazz festivals in different countries is growing. He emphasized the importance of young people joining the genre.
The day before the concert, Butman took part in a discussion with participants of the International Youth Festival, covering the history of Soviet and Russian jazz, contemporary jazz and ways to attract young people to the genre.
The 2026 International Youth Festival is being held in Yekaterinburg from September 11 to 17 under the slogan ‘Follow Your Dream’. The festival has brought together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries. The performance by the international youth jazz team added to the festival’s diverse cultural programme.
Read more international news: International News.
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