Our Approach
Following closely the principles of the New European Bauhaus (beautiful, sustainable, together), in 2023 we established the non-profit cultural organisation Jazz Solidarity Network in order to enrich our activities with a stronger cultural dimension, to offer high-quality cultural content to our municipalities, and to further explore the environmental sustainability challenges arising from cultural activity in our country. Today, JSN has 300 artists as members and constitutes the only official and exclusive organisation for jazz in Greece.
Our Activity
From early 2023 until today, JSN has delivered a rich programme of cultural activities:
- Organisation of 4 jazz festivals
- Organisation of 5 climate festivals in schools
- Organisation of 2 collective improvisation nights for musicians and dancers
- Organisation of 1 international conference
- Organisation of dozens of jazz nights in private cultural venues
- Deployment of 8 Greek ensembles for performances and tours abroad
- Support of 6 music productions
- Participation in 4 jazz festivals organised by other institutions
- Creation of the Greek Jazz Book, a digital crowdsourcing platform through which original compositions by Greek jazz artists are collected, curated, and made available to the public. In addition, a band was established to deliver tribute performances to the composers of the GJB.
- Creation of Next Beat, an interactive and inclusive orchestra for teenagers.
In addition, CIVINET:
- Has integrated a rich cultural programme into its three international conferences.
- Participates in the implementation of the European project ECOZANI (European Urban Initiative), which aims to transform the traditional Kozani Carnival into a major celebration of sustainability, creating new green jobs and improving the quality of life in the city 365 days a year.
- Its staff were responsible for the environmental impact assessments of the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art in Pangrati and the completion project of the Athens Conservatoire.
Our Plans for the Future
Include:
- The establishment of a series of jazz festivals across different regions of Greece
- The geographical and thematic expansion of climate festivals in schools
- The networking of cultural venues and organisations in Greece that can host jazz and improvisation performances, aiming at the decentralisation of cultural activity, encouraging artists to tour within the country, and strengthening the sustainability of the cultural sector in Greece
Our Partnerships
- Ministries: Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Environment and Energy (Green Fund).
- Regions: Region of Attica, Region of South Aegean.
- Municipalities: City of Athens (Technopolis, OPANDA), City of Thessaloniki (Dimitria), Agios Dimitrios, Vari Voula Vouliagmeni, Dionysos, Heraklion (Attica), Ioannina, Kozani, Heraklion (Crete), Karpenisi.
- Countries of activity: Spain (Seville), Germany (Bremen), Turkey (Istanbul), Indonesia, Japan.
- Private organisations: Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation / Silversmithing Museum of Ioannina, Roes Theatre, Jazzahead, Assejazz, Jazzet, Spiti Art Bar, Proka, Sardanapalos, ZU, Playground for the Arts, Saronic Ferries, etc.