Zurich Jazz Orchestra featuring Song Yi Jeon (voc)

“Female Composers Series”

The program features music by female composers and arrangers. The first part includes music by Claudia Döffinger, Nikki Iles, Cinzia Catania, Carla Köllner, and Ursula Reicher.

The second part focuses on a composer and singer with whom the Zurich Jazz Orchestra is collaborating for the first time: South Korean Song Yi Jeon.

Song Yi Jeon is not only the new voice teacher at the ZHdK, but also known for her hypnotic voice, which has been compared to a malleable, wordless instrument, as well as for her incomparable improvisations. Her compositions, which are influenced and inspired by a variety of sources (including her background as a classical composer), will be presented for the first time with a jazz orchestra in arrangements by Ed Partyka.

In 2013, Song Yi became the first Quincy Jones CJ&E Fellow at Berklee College of Music, where she was also awarded the prestigious Billboard Endowed Award. She made her debut at the Blue Note New York in 2015, where she was critically acclaimed for her mini-album. This was followed in 2018 by the release of her first album, Movement of Lives. Her album HOME, featuring Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Gomes, received 4.5 stars from DownBeat Magazine in 2022. Song Yi has performed at the best venues and festivals worldwide.

Song Yi was recently selected as a music protégée for the Rolex Mentor & Protégé Arts Initiative 2023–24, where she is currently working closely with five-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves.

This collaboration between an international artist with strong local ties and a local jazz orchestra with a strong international reputation promises to be one of the artistic highlights of the season.