For the 31st time, Christmas Jazz invites audiences to slow down and find light in music during the darkest time of the year. The full programme has now been announced: from 30 November to 15 December, 11 concerts will bring together international jazz stars, exciting collaborations by Estonian musicians and the warm sounds of the festive season. Among the international artists taking to the stage are Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Tord Gustavsen and Michelle David. They will be joined by special projects from Estonian musicians, including Alika’s tribute to Amy Winehouse and Seasons, marking the 80th anniversary of Marju Kuut’s birth. And this is only a glimpse of what this year’s Christmas Jazz has to offer. Tickets go on sale on 1 October at 12 noon, with a limited number available at a 40% discount for the quickest buyers.
“Christmas Jazz has always been a time to slow down for a moment and listen to music with a different kind of openness. This year’s programme ranges from the grand sound of a big band to intimate musical moments, bringing together world music, soul, jazz, classical music and fresh new work by our own musicians,” says Anne Erm, Artistic Director of Jazzkaar. “I am especially delighted that Christmas Jazz is bringing musicians such as Wynton Marsalis and Tord Gustavsen to Estonia for the first time, while also offering audiences the chance to discover beloved Estonian artists in exciting new line-ups.”
The international programme of Christmas Jazz brings together a rich variety of musical worlds. Beneath the vaulted ceilings of Niguliste, Norwegian jazz star Tord Gustavsen will share his serene and luminous musical reflections, while the meditative, atmospheric music of Swiss duo LEVITATION – Stefan Rusconi and Tobias Preisig – blends the sounds of violin, organ and piano. Elsewhere, the boundaries of Baltic jazz dissolve into a new whole as tradition, jazz and improvisation meet. At the Noblessner Foundry, Jazzkaar audience favourite Michelle David returns with The True-tones, bringing their infectious soul sound back to the stage. Their previous Jazzkaar concert sold out, and this time they will perform music from their new album Soul Woman alongside songs from their Christmas album It’s a Soulful Christmas.
Collaborations between Estonian musicians span classical music, jazz, ambient, neo-soul and indie. Violinist Hans Christian Aavik and pianist Karoliina Aavik create a fresh and playful bridge between classical music and jazz, while Robert Jürjendal celebrates his 60th birthday on stage with Iris Oja and Raun Juurikas. Jana Kütt appears with a new line-up that gives her songs fresh form at the intersection of jazz, soul and electronic music. Sten-Olle, meanwhile, brings together all the friends featured on his acclaimed, award-winning 2025 album Kehv keha, expanding the songs with five-part vocal harmonies, indie riffs and richly orchestrated textures.
Christmas Jazz also presents a number of distinctive special concerts this year. Alika, together with Janno Trump and a group of Estonian jazz musicians, offers a fresh, jazz-infused take on the music of Amy Winehouse. The concert Seasons marks the 80th anniversary of Marju Kuut’s birth. Under the direction of Bianca Rantala, this beloved album from Estonian music history has been reimagined for today and will be brought to the Christmas Jazz stage by the New Wind Jazz Orchestra, Susanna Aleksandra, Karmen Rõivassepp, Marianne Leibur and Heldur Harry Põlda.
The opening concert of Christmas Jazz has already been announced: with the support of Jazz Pesulad, the legendary Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will perform for Estonian audiences for the first time, presenting their programme Big Band Holidays. Marsalis’s 2026 world tour will be his final tour as Artistic Director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, making this concert a particularly significant occasion for both Marsalis and the orchestra.
The 31st Tallinn International Festival Christmas Jazz will take place from 30 November to 15 December. Tickets for the full festival programme go on sale on 1 October at 12 noon. A limited number of tickets will be available at a 40% discount for the quickest buyers; the offer does not apply to the previously announced concert by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The latest Jazzkaar news can be found on the festival’s website, Facebook and Instagram.
The main sponsors of Christmas Jazz are JURA, Jazz Pesulad and Delfi Kultuur, with United Motors, Tallink and Nordic Hotel Forum as annual supporters. The concert by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is presented with the support of Jazz Pesulad, while concerts at Nobel Hall are supported by Noblessner. Additional support is provided by Reval Café, Aktaprint, Estonian Public Broadcasting, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, and Tallinn, UNESCO City of Music.