Elbphilharmonie Jazz Academy 2025

Every two years, the Elbphilharmonie Jazz Academy brings together the world’s most promising young jazz talents in Hamburg. Selected from over 150 applicants worldwide, 16 exceptional musicians will be attending the intensive programme at the Elbphilharmonie in August 2025. The week-long experience features coaching and jam sessions, two public talks and culminates in a special final concert where they perform together in the Grand Hall that is also available as a live stream.

Each edition of this prestigious masterclass is led by a different artistic director. This year, renowned saxophonist Donny McCaslin takes the helm, supported by an impressive line-up of outstanding jazz musicians.

Donny McCaslin saxophone, artistic director

Gerald Clayton piano

Django Bates piano, arrangement

Jorge Roeder bass

Allison Miller drums

Jen Shyu vocals, composition

Trumpet
Daniel Migliosi

Saxophone
Coleman Rose

Trombone
Carlotta Armbruster

Guitar
Kateřina Hošková, Lucas Brum

Piano
Lukas Langguth, Tim Scherer, David van der Grinten

Bass
Ton Felices Giralt, Manuel Luque Regodón, Morten Østerlund Larsen

Drums
Jens Emil Jensen, Kabelo Mokhatla, Orélio Paladini

Vocals
Ava Alami, Flora de Geus

Award-winning Luxembourg trumpeter Daniel Migliosi began his musical journey with classical trumpet studies, which he pursued successfully during his school years. He later transitioned to jazz at the Cologne University of Music, where he became part of the »WDR Composers Fellowship« and collaborated regularly with the WDR Big Band.

Born in 2004, Daniel Migliosi is a versatile performer, active in various small and large ensembles. After releasing his debut album »Left On Scene« in 2022, he followed up just two years later with the critically acclaimed quintet album »On The Edge«.

American saxophonist and composer Coleman Rose has won several awards and scholarships in recent years. Active as a sideman across various projects, he has also released two successful albums with his own quintet.

Born in Boston, he currently lives in New York, where he studies at the renowned Manhattan School of Music. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Oberlin, Ohio, where he drew valuable inspiration from teachers including Gary Bartz, Gerald Cannon and Eddie Henderson.

Trombonist Carlotta Armbruster is a prominent figure in the Cologne jazz scene and performs across Germany with both her own ensembles and a variety of other projects. In the 2023/24 season, she was a member of both the Bundesjazzorchester and the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra. Her stylistic spectrum ranges from freely improvised music to intimate duo and trio formations to larger ensembles and big bands.

After preliminary studies in her home city of Stuttgart, Carlotta Armbruster began her bachelor’s degree at the HfMT Cologne with Shannon Barnett, Niels Klein and Robert Landfermann.

Brazilian guitarist, composer and publisher Lucas Brum leads several of his own projects, including both European and Brazilian quintets, as well as his own big band. In 2018, he won the prestigious composition competition at Brazil’s Gramado in Concert and, in 2021, he received a notable young talent award from the South American jazz scene with the band Lummi. Now living in Hamburg, Lucas Brum also publishes sheet music across Europe, Brazil and the USA.

Czech guitarist and composer Kateřina Hošková has recently returned to Prague following a semester abroad at the Paris Conservatory. The 24-year-old is currently studying at the Academy of Music and making waves in the jazz scene, especially with her trio project that features jazz standards alongside her original compositions.

Pianist and composer David van der Grinten, originally from Amsterdam, has recently returned to Europe after two formative years in New York, where he earned his master’s degree at the renowned Manhattan School of Music. His music blends lyrical melodies and danceable rhythms, always infused with a hint of saudade. He regularly performs on renowned jazz stages, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Paradiso, Bimhuis and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

Pianist Lukas Langguth has won several major awards in recent years, including the Young Munich Jazz Prize, the Biberach Jazz Prize and first place in the Future Sounds competition.

Born in 1999, he has performed with the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Orchestre des Jeunes de l’ONJ. His most important current projects include the Scheugenflug-Langguth Duo and a versatile trio with bassist Hannes Stegmeier and drummer Jonas Sorgenfrei. He is also a regular presence at renowned festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival. Langguth studied under Professors Rainer Böhm and Lorenz Kellhuber at the Nuremberg University of Music.

Born in Tokyo in 1999, Tim Scherer first sat at the piano at age five in his parents’ home. After moving to Germany, he discovered his love of jazz as a teenager through performances of the Hamburg Landesjugendjazzorchester (State Youth Jazz Orchestra). He soon began to make a name for himself not only as a jazz pianist, but also as an arranger and composer. For several years now, his quartet BLUFF has been one of his most successful projects, performing at major festivals like Elbjazz and JazzBaltica  and with which he also impressed the audience at the Laeiszhalle in autumn 2024. Now based in Berlin, Tim Scherer is especially excited to return to Hamburg, where he attended school and university.

In his compositions, Amsterdam-based double bassist Ton Felices Giralt describes the feelings of our ever-changing times through groovy, energetic and futuristic music full of jazz and electronic influences. He is a permanent fixture in the Dutch capital's jazz and creative music scene, performing uninterruptedly in local jazz clubs and internationally with artists such as David Binney, Miguel Zenón and Pablo Held.

He has performed in various formations and, not least, as a successful solo act at major festivals and stages, including most recently at North Sea Jazz, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Amsterdam Jazzfest and the Bird's Eye Jazzclub.

Born in Barcelona in 2002, Ton Felices Giralt completed his Bachelor's degree at the Conservatory in Amsterdam, where he is currently studying for a Master's degree.

Double bassist Morten Østerlund Larsen was born in the Danish port city of Kolding and began his studies in Berlin, where he was mentored by jazz luminaries like Marc Muellbauer and Greg Cohen. He has toured extensively across Canada, the USA and various European countries, performing alongside artists such as Glenn Patscha, John Schröder and Karen Eng.

Currently based in Aalborg, he is pursuing composition studies at the Royal Academy of Music.

Barcelona-based double bassist Manuel Luque Regodón performs throughout Europe as a bandleader and sought-after sideman. Growing up in a small town southeast of Madrid, he first learned to play the guitar before taking up the bass. It was during an extended stay in Rochester, New York, in 2016 that he discovered jazz and promptly began playing bass in several local bands. His own music blends diverse jazz styles with traditional music, flamenco and Latin American influences – an exciting fusion that also defines his acclaimed debut album »Cicatrices« with the ML Quartet.

Manuel Luque Regodón initially studied jazz double bass at the Maastricht Conservatory with Matthias Nowak and John Goldsby. He later completed his master’s degree at the ESMUC in Barcelona with Horacio Fumero.

Jens Emil Jensen is a Danish drummer and composer with a penchant for unusual rhythms. He performs in various ensembles of his own and, not least as the founder of Aarhus Jazz Jam, plays an important role in the lively jazz scene of his home city Aarhus.

In 2023, he completed the internationally renowned Nordic Master in Jazz, with studies taking him to Helsinki, Aarhus, and Stockholm.

Born in South Africa, drummer and composer Kabelo Mokhatla now lives in New York and performs regularly at leading jazz clubs. He regularly shares the stage with some of the true jazz greats, including Nduduzo Makhathini, Terri Lyne Carrington and John Beasley. In 2023, he released his debut album, »The Key to Authenticity«, which he took on an international tour.

His musical education has been shaped by influential mentors such as Kendrick Scott, John Riley, Obed Calvaire and Jaleel Shaw.

Based in Paris, drummer Orélio Paladini is involved in a wide range of projects, including the Suzanne Ben Zakoun Trio, the folk group Marius & The Needs, and electro-pop artist Keziah Ma. Born in France, he has performed on stage with artists such as Zara McFarlane and Riccardo Del Fra, and was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Laurent Cugny.

He earned his master’s degree in 2024 from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.

The Persian-Italian jazz singer, pianist and composer is a regular presence on major jazz stages such as the Gaeta Jazz Festival and Rome’s Casa del Jazz. She has released two acclaimed albums: her award-winning debut »Azalea« (2023) and the adventurous 2025 duo release »Candy Cane Snail«, a fusion of jazz, electronica and Persian and Italian musical influences created in collaboration with Vittorio Esposito.

A versatile artist, she began with classical piano studies before graduating with Honours in jazz vocals from the Conservatory in Frosinone in 2023.

Paris-based jazz singer and composer Flora de Geus brings a deep sensitivity to contemporary issues in all her projects. Her compositions, lyrics and arrangements draw on a rich palette of influences ranging from jazz legends such as Carmen McRae to cross-genre artists such as Fiona Apple and Noname.

She received her broad musical education in Paris, Rotterdam and Basel – three dynamic centres of jazz where she is now a sought-after performer.