The Sudtirol Jazzfestival Altoadige gets off to an unusual start on the 24th June 2016. The opening night will be held among the crates of apples in the Frangarto Fruit-growers Cooperative. The programme, entitled Kinzelbinder's Melting Orchestra, will be a lively fusion of Italian and Austrian folk music traditions and jazz.
For the past three years, the Festival has concentrated on inviting artistes from one particular country, in order to explore the individual jazz movements in the European continent. France starred in 2014. Last year's edition highlighted the UK. This year, says director Klaus Widmann, We have Austria and Italy - the two countries on either side of the Brennero Pass.
The Festival, which runs till the 3rd July, offers 80 concerts with over 100 musicians performing. The event is not confined exclusively to Bolzano, but is spread over 20 neighbouring towns and other localities in the mountain refuges and villages, including lakeside piers, the Planetarium of San Valentino in Campo, the Messner Mountain Museum and the Museion Passage in the Bolzano Art Gallery.
Info. www.suedtiroljazzfestival.com