BMW Welt Jazz Award 2019 in March.

Munich. As the BMW Welt Jazz Awards 2019 enter the
final stages, two more ensembles are set to wow audiences with their
interpretation of this year’s motto, Saxophone Worlds. The two final
matinees in the Double Cone structure of the BMW Welt will be by Maria
Faust Machina on 10 March 2019 and the Rudresh Mahanthappa Quintet on
24 March 2019. The expert jury will then name the two finalists
entering the play-off on 4 May 2019 in the Auditorium of the BMW Welt.

The Estonian saxophonist and composer Maria Faust is among the
jazz discoveries of the last few years. After her classical training
at the Music Academy in Tallin, the 39-year-old turned her attention
to jazz and continued her musical career in Denmark, melding different
musical genres to create entirely new worlds of sound. On 10
March 2019
she will perform with the Maria Faust
Machina
Ensemble, delivering a fusion of jazz, classical and
alternative rock that defies categorisation. The extraordinary lineup
will include bandleader Maria Faust on alto saxophone, Ned Ferm on
tenor saxophone, Ida Nørholm on cello, Jacob Anderskov on piano, and
Nils Bo Davidsen and Adam Pultz Melbye on double bass. Mixing
traditional, experimental and natural sounds, their chamber music is
characterised by powerful, haunting improvisations and song-like melodies.

An innovative and creative jazz artist of the younger
generation, Rudresh Mahanthappa enjoys international acclaim, with
numerous awards as a testament to his work.  With roots in India, the
talented musician discovered his passion for Carnatic music through a
friend, the Indian saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath. His playing is
characterised by a fusion of rhythmic structures with modern jazz. At
the BMW Welt Jazz Awards on 24 March 2019 the
Rudresh Mahanthappa Quintet will feature Rez Abbasi
on guitar, Bobby Avey on piano, François Moutin on double bass and
Rudy Royston on drums. Together, they will revisit the critically
acclaimed Bird Calls album, in which Mahanthappa leans toward the
music of saxophone legend Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker to deliver a
performance that is his very own. His personal, highly virtuoso
interpretations of the original compositions present the themes, solos
and arrangements of the godfather of modern jazz in a completely new
context. Mahanthappa couples powerful, passionate, modern jazz with an
inexhaustible joy of playing.


BMW Welt Jazz Award 2019

Matinees from 11 am to 1.30 pm in the double-cone of the BMW Welt:

27 January 2019        Maciej Obara Quartet
3 February
2019        Céline Bonacina Crystal Quartet
17 February 2019     
Géraldine Laurent Quartet
24 February 2019      Matthieu
Bordenave Archipel
10 March 2019          Maria Faust
Machina
24 March 2019          Rudresh Mahanthappa Quintet

The matinees are offered free of charge, however seating is limited
and cannot be guaranteed. Doors open at 10.30 am.

Final concert at the auditorium of the BMW Welt at 7 pm:

4 May 2019                Final concert featuring the two shortlisted finalists

Tickets for the final concert went on sale on 27 January 2019, at the
BMW Welt and München Ticket.

As in previous years, the event will be hosted by Beate Sampson,
Editor of the jazz desk at German broadcasting station Bayerischer
Rundfunk BR-KLASSIK.


Jury

The distinguished panel of expert jurors will be headed by
Oliver Hochkeppel (Music and cultural affairs
journalist, Süddeutsche Zeitung) and will include the following members:

Roland Spiegel, Editor and jazz expert at German
broadcasting station Bayerischer Rundfunk BR-KLASSIK

Andreas Kolb, Editor-in-chief of JazzZeitung.de and
neue musikzeitung

Heike Lies, Musicologist, Music and Music Theatre
Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the state capital Munich

Christiane Böhnke-Geisse, Artistic Director of the
international jazz festival “Bingen swingt”.

 

For further questions please contact:

Prof Dr Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental
Affairs 
Head of Cultural Engagement 
Telephone: +49-89-382-24753 
Thomas.Girst@bmwgroup.com

Doris Fleischer
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental
Affairs
Cultural Engagement
Telephone: +49-89-382-27806 
Doris.Fleischer@bmw.de

Cypselus von Frankenberg
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental
Affairs
BMW Brand, Marketing, Lifestyle
Telephone: +49-89-382-30641
Cypselus.von-Frankenberg@bmw.de

www.press.bmwgroup.com
E-Mail:
presse@bmw.de

 

About BMW Group Cultural Engagement
For almost
50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100
cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of
its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art, classical
music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three
large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter
specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group’s Munich headquarters.
Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim,
Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW. In
2016 and 2017, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John
Baldessari created the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car
Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art
Journey and the “Opera for All” concerts in Berlin, Munich, Moscow and
London, the company also partners with
leading museums and art fairs as well as orchestras and opera houses
around the world. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all
its cultural activities – as this initiative is as essential for
producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations
in a successful business.

Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture
and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BMW-Group-Culture
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroupculture/
@BMWGroupCulture
#BMWGroupCulture

BMW Welt – at the heart of the brand, on the pulse of the city

The BMW Welt welcomes over 3 million visitors per year. With its
pioneering architecture, BMW Welt is the heart of all the brands in
the BMW Group – BMW, the sub-brands BMW M and BMW i, MINI, Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars and BMW Motorrad, which are impressively presented in their
own worlds of experience. But it is not only the exhibitions and the
collection of new vehicles that are highlights for car lovers from all
over the world. Visitors can enjoy a year-round programme of varied
events covering culture, art and entertainment as well as a popular
event location for over 400 external events per year. The various
restaurants of the BMW Welt offer a variety of culinary delights up to
star gastronomy. In the BMW Welt Junior Campus, children and
youngsters can enjoy exciting guided tours and workshops on the themes
of mobility and sustainability.

The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI,
Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading
premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides
premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production
network comprises 30 production and assembly facilities in 14
countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and
more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

www.bmwgroup.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupView
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bmw