The Festival
"New Conversations-Vicenza Jazz" is one of the most eagerly awaited live musical events in Vicenza, but not just there - it is one of those fundamental occasions of entertainment programming for the city that is also considered one of Europe's great spring jazz festivals. It is held over a period of about ten days in the month of May: the grand masters of jazz are guests every year of the Palladian city, giving life to an unforgettable symphony of notes, sounds, colors and art in the theaters, night clubs, churches and palaces.
The Festival originated in 1996 at the inspiration of the Culture Councilor of the City of Vicenza and the main sponsor, Trivellato Mercedes Benz, and was an immediate success for the quality and particular focus of the offering, on the European scene of spring festivals. The artistic direction of the Festival was entrusted from the very beginning to the care and attention of Riccardo Brazzale. Since 2014, the Festival has been managed by the City of Vicenza Civic Theater Foundation.
From its first edition, “New Conversations-Vicenza Jazz” received enthusiastic praise, above all for the originality of the project that succeeded in finding a perfect meeting point between jazz music, historically considered to have a strong innovative impact, and the classical sites of Palladio’s city, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The program of Vicenza Jazz features numerous original productions every year, involving the musicians in original, stimulating concerts that combine different genres, such as art and music, with poets and visual artists.
Between exclusive projects and countless collateral events (seminars, happenings and art exhibitions, video and film reviews), every year "Vicenza Jazz" renews itself, attracting a vast audience and a great many connoisseurs as well as Italian, European and American journalists who cover the event for the specialized press, dailies and TV stations.