Wynton Marsalis and the "Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra" are coming to Romania for the first time, for the XXI edition of the JTI Encounters - a special edition, part of a music tour.

Soloist and composer Wynton Marsalis, New York's best-known contemporary trumpeter, and "Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra," consisting of fifteen of the best musicians of the moment, will perform a jazz concert at the Grand Palace Hall on July 1st, at 8 p.m., on the same stage where, decades ago, the "sacred monsters" of the genre, such as Louis Armstrong or Dizzy Gillespie, were present. JTI is not at its first encounter with jazz. In the ‘90s, JTI presented the series "Jazz Alive", also on the stage of the Grand Palace Hall, where Chick Corea, Airto Moreira, Johnny Răducanu and other big names of the genre were present.

The second concert of the tour will be a symphonic One and will take place on July 2nd, at 8 p.m., at the Radio Hall. Wynton Marsalis with "The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra" are going to perform, together with the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, "The Jungle" symphony. “The Jungle” symphony was composed by Wynton Marsalis on the request of the New York Philharmonic to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the orchestra and had its partial premiere in December 2016. The composition was interpreted for the first time, together with the Romanian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, during the „Jazz at Lincoln Center“ event in New York, in January 2019.

The third concert, a jazz performance, is going to take place on July 3rd, at 21:00, in the Great Square of Sibiu, the heart of the city, which has become a symbol of the performing arts. The concert will take place within Romanian-American Musical Days, organized by State Philharmonics’ Sibiu, being in the same time a preview of Sibiu International Theatre Festival, special partner of JTI Encounters.

Under Music Director Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) performs a vast repertoire, from rare historic compositions to Jazz at Lincoln Center commissioned works, including compositions and arrangements by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, and many others.

Wynton Marsalis is internationally recognized as a musician, composer, conductor and promoter of American culture. He is the first jazz artist to perform and compose in the entire scale, from his New Orleans roots to modern jazz. Creating and performing the most diverse genres, music for quartets, but also for orchestras, for step, but also for ballet, Wynton Marsalis managed to expand the vocabulary of jazz. Wynton Marsalis' creativity has been celebrated all over the world. Among his awards are the Edison Award in the Netherlands, an honorary membership with the Conservatory of the British Royal Academy of Music and he is also a Knight of the Legion of Honour.

Join us for the XXI edition of the JTI Encounters, an edition that brings the power of American jazz to Romania! For the two concerts in Bucharest, tickets are available on eventim.ro. For Sibiu concert, the access is free, within the limits of available seats.

Inaugurated in 2000 by the famous ballet company Bejart Ballet Lausanne, the JTI Encounters were mainly dedicated to dance, hosting choreographers and famous companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Gigi Căciuleanu and the Chile National Ballet, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Akram Khan Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, but also to music, especially in the debut period. JTI Encounters were held every year, with the exception of 2020, when they were postponed due to the pandemic.

General producer: Art Production Foundation. Co-producers: Radio Romania, TVR. Organizers: “Tinerimea Română” National Art Center, The State Philarmonics Sibiu. Main partners: Bucharest City Hall, ARCUB, Sibiu County Council, Sibiu City Hall. Special partners: Sibiu International Theatre Festival, National Theatre `Radu Stanca`. Institutional partners: German Consulate in Sibiu, Music Ensemble `Cindrelul-Junii Sibiului`, Sibiu Ballet Theatre, Sibiu Evangelical Church, Commercial partners: Athenee Palace Hilton, Hotel `Împăratul Romanilor`. With support of: Rotary Club Pipera, Foundation Friends of music “Serafim Antropov”. Media partners: Radio Romania Cultural, RFI România, Observator Cultural, Pro Contemporania, Accente, BlitzTV, AmosNews, WebCultura, The Culture Club,  Mediatrust, Liternet, Eventim, QMagazine, Bookhub, 4arte.ro, Mișcarea de rezistență, Hermanstaedter Zeitung, Mesagerul de Sibiu, Capital Cultural, Profil Cultural, Stradacetatii.ro, Sibiulînimagini.ro, Book Hub.