The XVIII All-Russian Festival of Improvisational Music

JAZZ in the Kremlin with Olga Skepner

The XVIII season of the All-Russian Festival of Improvisational Music “JAZZ in the Kremlin with Olga Skepner” was held in the Cannon Yard of the Kazan Kremlin from July 4 to August 22. Over two months, almost more than 6–7 thousand people attended the event.

Jazz masters performed on stage: Mariam Merabova, Alina Rostotskaya’s quartet, Oleg Akkuratov and others. Vadim Eilenkrig, Eteri Beriashvili, Olga Skepner and Alexey Chumakov also welcomed guests of the Festival.

A unique annual open-air festival is considered as one of the best in Russia. The organizers have done the near impossible: thousands of people have changed their attitude towards music, dozens of artists have been heard by a wide audience. The event attracts a large number of tourists to Kazan and the Republic of Tatarstan.

The festival lasts for two months. The styles are diverse: each evening is devoted to a specific musical genre. Thus, the overall palette of concerts looks wide and versatile, ranging from mainstream to jazz-rock, bossa nova and fusion.

The event successfully positions itself at the main International forum-festival, “Jazz Across Borders”, held annually in St. Petersburg. In 2019, Olga Skepner, the president and author of the “JAZZ in the Kremlin”, took part as a Russian jazz producer in the legendary world forum — the music exhibition “JAZZAHEAD”.