World premiere: jazz star Kurt Elling and Kaunas Symphony Orchestra

Kaunas Jazz, the largest jazz festival in Lithuania, announces that one of the world’s most famous jazz singers, Kurt Elling, will perform at the Zalgiris Arena in Kaunas on May 1, 2023 at the invitation of the festival. Kurt Elling, the US star and winner of two prestigious Grammy statuettes, will present a world premiere to the festival audience – a programme performed with the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra. The Kaunas Symphony Orchestra, led by Algimantas Treikauskas and conducted by Karolis Variakojis, will perform works specially arranged for this project.

The Kaunas Symphony Orchestra has performed with many of the world’s most renowned artists, and in 2021 the Kaunas Jazz Festival audience enjoyed a performance with the popular jazz singer Gregory Porter.

Kurt Elling has been voted Best Jazz Vocalist 17 times by the critics of Downbeat, the world’s leading jazz magazine. He has also been voted Vocalist of the Year 12 times by the American Jazz Journalists Association. And these are just a couple of the many accolades he has received.

Today, Kurt’s collection includes fifteen Grammy nominations and two wins in the Best Vocal Jazz Album category.

Kurt Elling’s secret is a voice that is unmistakable, a virtuoso improvisation and poetry that emanates from every track. The singer’s ability to take famous instrumental jazz pieces, write lyrics and turn them into songs is exceptional. At the same time, he is extremely dynamic, original and engaging, and on stage he is able to tell a story with every song.

Kurt Elling’s main musical partner on this album is guitarist Charlie Hunter, who will also join him in Kaunas. The guitarist is renowned as a respected musician and producer in many different genres.

For more information visit www.kaunasjazz.lt