Samstag, 30.05. 2026
Kontakt:
14th Annual Indiana Jazz Exchange
Einlass 19.00 Uhr
Beginn 20.00 UhrEintritt: 18 €
Artist Websites:
Since 2012, as part of the Sister City partnership of Indianapolis and Cologne, renowned jazz pianist Monika Herzig in collaboration with the Cologne Freundeskreis and Amerikahaus NRW has curated a yearly themed jazz program bringing together prominent musicians from Indiana and Cologne. For the 14th Indiana Jazz Exchange, May 27 - 30, 2026, the Indiana Jazz Exchange will celebrate the Centennial of one of the co-founders of the Four Freshmen, a legendary group founded in 1948 at Butler University in Indianapolis by the Barbour brothers from Columbus, Indiana and their cousin Bob Flanigan from Greencastle, Indiana. The trademark of the group is a unique combination of four-part vocal harmony with instrumental virtuosity and their song ‘Graduation Day’ was covered by the Beach Boys in 1964. After touring with the Stan Kenton Band they recorded for Capitol Records. Indiana Jazz Exchange curator and jazz pianist, Monika Herzig, received two binders of arrangements from the group’s repertoire as a thank you gift for her performance at the 70th Anniversary celebration. In collaboration with award-winning vocalist Emma Hedrick, selected arrangements from the original repertoire will be adapted and interpreted by the 2026 featured Indiana Jazz Exchange artists. Award-winning jazz vocalist Emma Hedrick is one of Indianapolis’ brightest stars. She was recognized with seven DownBeat Student Awards over the course of four years as a jazz student at the Frost School in Miami, and recently completed her Masters at The Royal Conservatory The Hague. She currently holds a faculty appointment at Syracuse University and recently released her debut album Newcomer. Violinist Cathy Morris grew up in a musical family of conductors and symphony performers and her stylistic versatility and charisma has led her to be one of Indianapolis’ musical ambassadors performing for President Clinton and world leaders from Serbia, Russia, and Japan. She has opened for Al Jarreau, Burt Bacharach, George Benson, Chuck Mangione, and many more, leads yearly feature performances at the Indy 500, and is a first call orchestra and studio musician. She produces hundreds of events yearly with her non-profit group Arts With A Purpose and presents educational programs for Young Audiences of Indiana. Jazz pianist Monika Herzig received her Doctorate from Indiana University, where she was a long-time faculty member. Her touring groups have been featured around the world at the Detroit Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival, Jazzmandu Festival, Canaris Jazz, Birdland Jazzclub, Porgy & Bess, and have opened for Tower of Power, Sting, Santana, Yes and others. Her newest project, Transparent, is a Jazz Road Creative Residency project and she currently holds a position as Professor of Artistic Research at the Jam Music Lab University in Vienna while maintaining her home in Indiana. Guitarist Peter Kienle has built a career as a versatile jazz composer and performer in the US since 1988, leading various groups and producing more than two dozen albums. The four Indiana-based musicians will team up with award-winning Cologne bassist Andre Nendza and drummer Alex for a concert experience of the highest international caliber bridging history and cultures with contemporary jazz aesthetics and charisma.
Samples of Previous Programs:
The 2022 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Indiana Jazz Exchange is here
The 2021 edition can be found a
The 2023 edition Both Sides of Joni is at
