SAXOPHONE ONLY – the JOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD is entering its 5th year. On the evening of May 16, 2026, the cry will once again be, "The winner is…!"

Four exceptionally talented tenor saxophonists – two of whom study at the Cologne University of Music and Dance (HfMT), and the other two at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen – will compete against each other. A five-member jury and the audience vote will decide who will be crowned the 2026 Jazz Talent of the Year on the tenor saxophone. As in previous years, choosing the winner will likely be no easy task. Because one thing is clear: all the nominees are extremely skilled on their instrument. All are highly gifted, highly motivated, and love and live for music, jazz, and their saxophone. What happens on this evening is a milestone in the careers of these young musicians – as the winners of the past four years confirm with their statements.

We are expecting an exciting, musically top-class evening at the Jazz Schmiede in Düsseldorf. If you want to be there, reserve your ticket now. Because we already know who will definitely come. And there are quite a few of them.

 

The content concept of the YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD was developed jointly by the board of the "Ringbeck Foundation" Jürgen Ringbeck and Peter Weiss, the spiritus rector of the Düsseldorf jazz scene and former musical director of the "Jazz Schmiede . Düsseldorf". In 2024, Peter Baumgärtner will take over the management of the "Jazz Schmiede . Düsseldorf" and the accompaniment of the YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD. Special thanks for their support in implementation go to the professors and lecturers responsible for the nominations, the members of the jury as well as the "Jazz Schmiede . Düsseldorf" and the other participating German jazz clubs.

 

 

MATHIS EVERDING

Winner of the YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2025 . GUITAR ONLY

There are experiences in the early development of artists that could be described as a spark: for a project or a vision, for the artist's self-image, for the self-confidence and strength to stand behind their own work. For me, the YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD was such an experience. The award winners' tour gave me the opportunity and freedom to engage intensively and concretely with my own compositions, to create a vision in collaboration with my band, and to develop it into a coherent concert, a curated Gesamtkunstwerk.

This concrete engagement with the arrangement, the search for timbres and textures in my own music, has helped me grow in many ways as a musician and composer.

The tour was also an opportunity to experience the responsibility of being a bandleader. The largely independent organization of the tour and the diverse communication with clubs, musicians, and sponsors was a new experience for me on a scale that allowed me to grow as a person and as a bandleader. Being responsible for four fellow musicians and their meals, accommodation, and mobility made me more aware of the details and priorities of life on tour.

I would like to emphasize that I found the competition to be very collegial. As musicians, we are often subjected to competitive pressures due to practical constraints, which detracts from musical freedom and solidarity among musicians. We are a community that works together to keep this music alive. I was grateful to experience this atmosphere on the evening of the competition. The YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD is a great opportunity for young musicians in the German jazz scene to gain visibility, network, and take their first steps into life as professional musicians in a protected environment.

>>> Mathis Everding – Winner of the »YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2025«

EVA SWIDERSKI 

Winner of the YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2024 . VOCALS ONLY

„I am very grateful to have taken part in the »Young Jazz Talent Award« competition and to have been given the opportunity to realise my first tour with my large ensemble EVA. It was a great pleasure to bring my music to the stage with my FLINTA band – hoping to inspire and at the same time bring more diversity to the jazz landscape.

Despite the pressure of competition, I think it's essential that musicians strengthen each other, network and stand up for each other in solidarity. After all, music thrives on exchange and a real community can only exist if everyone is equally free

I found the encounters with the other nominees particularly enriching. I am a big fan of their work, follow their careers with enthusiasm and wish us all the best for the future."

>>> Eva Swiderski – Winner of the »YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2024«

 

PAUL KÜPPERS 

Winner of the YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2023 . PIANO ONLY

As a young, artistic person who can ponder a lot and sometimes reflects too much, I was for a long time, and still am to some extent, heavily involved in finding a place in the huge landscape of contemporary music in which my work can find meaning. I don't see my success at the Young Talents Jazz Award as a victory over my fellow competitors, but as a test of courage that challenged me to take the first steps necessary to establish an individual, artistic profile. The competition helped me to find out for myself what I value and want to cultivate artistically. It also made it clearer to me which paths, which had previously seemed vague and unknown to me, I could take. 

Compared to two years ago, I am able to see, use and celebrate the diversity and boundlessness of modern music. This applies to all areas of my work - be it composition, performance, concerts or production. 

The competition also helped me to find out how to manage my own project efficiently and sensitively as part of my tour. As a result of the evening, which was very positive for me, I can confidently say that I have gained a great deal of self-esteem. 

>>> Paul Küppers – Winner of the »YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2023«

MERLIN HELLENKAMP

Winner of the YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2022 . DRUMS ONLY

“I remember a very exciting, inspiring and unique competition evening. I particularly enjoyed the personal and musical exchange with the other competition candidates, the musicians and the jury. So winning was the icing on the cake for an already successful evening. I also remember being very excited, especially during my performance and at the moment of the award ceremony.

The tour associated with the win gave me an impressive insight into the perspectives within the jazz scene: composing the musical suite “LOVE”, planning the tour, communicating with the jazz clubs and venues, a little insight into the world of “tour life”, in which we played with the band in a different city every night. The promotion of the project was sustainable and has enabled me to organize further follow-up performances for the project to this day.

Musically, I am now not only a percussionist in a variety of projects, but also a composer, arranger and conductor. The musical scene at the Folkwang is particularly close to me because of the musical stylistic versatility, the combination of text, music and dance and especially the possibility of being able to convey meaningful experiences and perspectives on these three levels intensively and authentically within the framework of a musical. In February 2025, I premiered my first jointly written musical “Es Wird - Schon Wieder” with orchestra together with the musical students at Folkwang. Further musical projects are being planned.”

>>> Merlin Hellenkamp – Winner of the »YOUNG JAZZ TALENT AWARD 2022«