The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation announced that pianist, composer, and artist Jason Moran is the artist-in-residence for the 2025 Detroit Jazz Festival.
Moran has released 18 solo recordings with Blue Note Records and Yes Records. In 2022, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was recently awarded the 2023 German Jazz Prize for Pianist of the Year. His latest recording, “From the Dancehall to the Battlefield,” is devoted to the music of World War I jazz pioneer and organizer James Reese Europe. Moran presented this multimedia jazz performance during the 2023 Detroit Jazz Festival on the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage.
Moran has collaborated with several contemporary artists, such as Joan Jonas, Kara Walker, Stan Douglas, Theaster Gates, and Remy Jungman. He also is currently the artistic director for jazz at The Kennedy Center ibn Washington, D.C.
As the 2025 artist-in-residence, Moran will support Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation educational initiatives for students and community engagement activities across the region throughout the year. In addition, Moran will lead multiple diverse performances during the Labor Day weekend festival. He also will perform at the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on the campus of Wayne State University on Tuesday, April 15 during the Detroit Jazz Festival Preview Event, which will be live-streamed for free on detroitjazzfest.org.
“Jason Moran is a trailblazer in the use of diverse multimedia and theatrical installations to present jazz to audiences in a way that has never been done before,” says Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “We look forward to his singular craftmanship and his creative and evolutionary artistry to lead this year’s festival.”
As part of this year’s programming, the Detroit Jazz Festival invites artists to bring new perspectives to blending jazz and other musical styles. Whether classical, electronic, hip-hop, folk, or something entirely new, we seek inspired visions that honor jazz’s tradition, build on its language, and explore distinctive new sounds. The deadline to apply is April 11. For more information and/or to apply go to detroitjazzfest.org.
Open submission for the 2025 Detroit Jazz Festival is now open. The Open Submissions Application offers professional artists at any stage in their career the opportunity to submit ensemble details and audio files for a paid performance slot at the 2025 Detroit Jazz Festival. Deadline for submission is June 1. For more information and to submit, go to detroitjazzfest.org.
The Detroit Jazz Festival will take place in downtown Detroit from Aug. 29-Sept. 1.
