Music school City West wins German jazz prices for outstanding works!

Music school City West wins German jazz prices for outstanding works!

On Friday, June 13, 2025, the festive award of the German Jazz Award 2025 took place in the Cologne E-Werk, in which two teachers from the City West music school were awarded. This event, which was able to come up with around 76 nominees in 22 categories, attracted numerous cultural workers, journalists and jazz pusasters, and celebrated the diversity and creativity of the jazz scene in Germany.

Birgitta Flick was honored for their outstanding performance in the "Composition/Arrangement of the Year" category. Her award -winning composition, which is entitled "Planetwoman", was created in cooperation with the vocal ensemble Vono, the artistic director Lone Larsen and the artist Zsuzsanna Ardó. The starting point of the composition is the poem of the same name by Ardó, which also serves as the core of an international choir project.

projects for music mediation

Another remarkable winner of the evening was the Jazzpilot project: Inside the German Jazzunion, which was awarded a special prize in the "Music Edition and Participation" category. Christof Griese, a lecturer at the music school City West, has been involved in this project since the beginning, which has been connected to political education with jazz music since 2020 and is aimed at all age groups. So far it has reached around 2,500 young people across Germany and works with over 70 musicians: inside and partners: inside, including the Federal Center for Political Education.

District Councilor Heike Schmitt-Melz was proud of the musical achievements of the teachers and the appreciation of musical mediation work in the region. Their commitment was underlined by the award of the jazz pilot: interior project, which is actively committed to cultural participation.

The German Jazz Prize at a glance

The German Jazz Prize has been awarded annually since 2021 and appreciates extraordinary artistic achievements in the jazz scene. The main sponsor of this prize is the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM). A total of 22 award winners were awarded at the award ceremony: inside, each received a trophy and prize money of 12,000 euros. For the nominees who received no price, 4,000 euros were planned.

• vowel: Sera Kalo
• woodwind instruments: Ingrid Laubrock
• brass instruments: Dima Bondarev
• piano/keyboard instruments: kit downes
• string instruments: Nick Dunston
• drums/percussion: Philo tsoungui
• artist of the year: Eva Klesse
• Great ensemble of the year: Carl Wittigs Aurora octet
• artist: In the year International: Marshall Allen
• Large ensemble of the year International: Jihye Lee Orchestra
• Album of the year: "Love Avatar" - Peter Gall
• newcomer: In the year: "Do you remember?" - Sonic interventions
• Radio production of the year: "Allgäu meets India"-HR-Bigband Featuring Matthias Schrefl
• album of the year International: Økse - Øksen
• newcomer: In the year International: "Good Inentions" - Alden Hellmuth
• Festival of the year: Peng Festival
• Live Act of the year: Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra
• Live Act of the year International: Nduduzo Makhathini
• composition/arrangement of the year: "Planetwoman" - Birgitta Flick
• Journalistic performance: "Jazzfacts Germany trip" - Deutschlandfunk
• Lebenswerk: Uschi Brüning
• Music mediation and participation: jazz pilot: inside

This year's gala was not only an impressive highlight of the jazz scene, but also a clear sign of the support and promotion of jazz by the federal government. Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer emphasized the central role of jazz in the cultural landscape of Germany during the event. Further information about the award winner and the upcoming application phase for the German Jazz Prize 2026, which starts in October 2025, can be found on the website of the Musikschule City West and the German Jazz Prize.

The complete award ceremony is available in the ARD media library and on YouTube.

Report by berlin.de
Report by miz
Report by jazz-fun