Event information
The South African College of Music's annual jazz showcase returns to the Baxter Concert Hall for three evening concerts, alongside free lunchtime performances at the W.H. Bell Music Library modelled on NPR's Tiny Desk format.
The festival opens on 21 September with the UCT Jazz Vocal Showcase, curated by Nomfundo Xaluva-Dyantyis and Abigail Houghton and featuring the UCT Jazz Voices under the direction of Amy Campbell. The following night, 22 September, the UCT Big Band performs under Justin Bellairs, moving through South African jazz, Latin rhythms and contemporary swing as part of the university's Heritage Day programming. The festival closes on 23 September with a Heritage Day concert showcasing new work from the Creative Collab Project, an interdisciplinary initiative launched in 2024 that brings together the Jazz and African Music sections of the college for joint composition and performance.
UCT's jazz training programme was established in 1989 by Emeritus Associate Professor Michael Campbell and has since produced a number of award-winning South African jazz musicians.
Each evening concert runs approximately one hour.