Oslo Jazzfestival

Oslo International Jazz Festival Oslo Jazzfestival
Marius Neset at Oslo Jazzfestival in 2015
Status	Active
Genre	Jazz Festival
Date(s)	Mid August
Begins	14 August 2016 (2016-08-14)
Ends	19 August 2016 (2016-08-19)
Frequency	Annually
Location(s)	Oslo
Country	Norway
Years active	1986 - present
Inaugurated	Founded 1985
Website
www.oslojazz.no

Oslo International Jazz Festival (established 1986 in Norway) is a Norwegian music event, held in August, with a focus on music form the jazz genere, performed on stages in Oslo.

The pilot project (1984-1985) was initiated by Aage Teigen. The first festival in 1986, had more than forty volunteers and the event received 350 000 Norwegian kroner in donations from Oslo Municipality. The music was largely traditional jazz, Dixieland, New Orleans jazz, etc. The organization became a Foundation in 1995, led by Truls Helweg, Chairman of the Board since 1995) and permanently appointed General Manager (Aage Teigen), at a time when the budget was over 5 million Norwegian kroner. Teigen was in 2002 awarded Oslo City Artist Award for his commitment.

In 2006 the festival held 70 concerts (of these 15 free) with 450 musicians on 18 stages with around 70 000 spectators. Aage Teigen was then general manager with more than 200 volunteers, and the music includes all generas of jazz. New leader from 2007 was Edvard Askeland. At the festival in August 2013 Nora Brockstedt was honored by a grand concert, where Come Shine and saxophonist Hanna Paulsberg presented highlights from Brockstedts repertoire in "brilliant versions".

A sculpture of Ella Fitzgerald is awarded a person who has developed the festival and the Oslo Jazz Scene, created by the artist Mariann Hazeland.

Scholarship which is awarded to a musician or a band (age 18-25) which has been noticed on local, regional and / or national level. The grant supported by Statkraft amounts 50 000 Norwegian kroner, and includes a gig with an optional project during the subsequent festival.