Written by The ninth edition of Festival Jazz International Nijmegen (FJIN) is set to fill the city once again with a rich palette of jazz sounds during the weekend of November 1 and 2, 2025. Building on its reputation since 2016, FJIN will bring an adventurous and carefully curated program to several prominent venues across Nijmegen, including Brebl, Doornroosje, LUX, Meneer Otis, Podium JIN, Stadsschouwburg, and De Vereeniging.
FJIN 2025 promises a compact yet diverse festival experience, blending familiar jazz tones with boundary-pushing performances that challenge and excite the audience. This year’s edition places special emphasis on Shuteen Erdenebaatar, the festival’s artist in focus, whose music will be featured throughout the program in multiple ensembles. The festival will showcase a vibrant mix of international artists, promising talent, and the city’s local musicians, reflecting the full breadth of contemporary jazz.
Saturday, November 1, launches at De Vereeniging with a duo by Shuteen Erdenebaatar and clarinetist Nils Kugelmann, whose delicate interplay of piano and contra-alto clarinet blurs genres and crafts a cinematic musical dialogue. Following is Portuguese bassist Carlos Bica’s new quartet 11:11, marked by lyrical storytelling and the fresh energy of three young musicians. The festival moves to Doornroosje in the evening, where JaRon Marshall, from the Black Pumas, presents a dynamic blend of soul, jazz, and beats, followed by Smag På Dig Selv from Copenhagen, whose mix of jazz, punk, and rave electrifies the night.
Carlos Bica’s 11_11
Sunday opens with the unique FJIN-Expeditie, a musical journey through Nijmegen’s city center that invites audiences to discover jazz in an unconventional setting. Organized in collaboration with Meneer Otis, this innovative program pairs young international talent from the ArtEZ Conservatory with local musicians, presenting short, improvised concerts at three surprising venues within the city. This walking concert allows audiences to experience the freshness of new voices and sounds in jazz within a welcoming and informal context.
This year’s Expeditie features an eclectic lineup that emphasizes the blending of cultures and musical approaches. Vocalist and composer Sara Bax brings her filmic compositions that fuse jazz, pop, and world music in various languages, creating a musical space that invites connection and vitality. Joining her is Nadeem Kotrob, a double bassist and buzuq player rooted in Nijmegen, whose sound bridges jazz, classical, and Eastern influences, aiming to bring authenticity and intercultural dialogue.
Also included are composer and bassist Daniel Eskens with his band FAST DE, who fuse jazz, club music, improvisation, and alternative indie into an energetic and unpredictable soundscape. His music is marked by playfulness, experimentation, and a wide stylistic range. Alongside him is singer-songwriter Büsra Ayhan, whose music melds jazzy soul, neo-soul, R&B, and jazz-hop, influenced by artists such as Erykah Badu and Nina Simone. Her unique approach to spoken word and rhythm-rich phrasing adds depth and intimacy, with a debut EP exploring her Turkish roots and bilingual upbringing slated for 2026.
Sound explorer Annabel Schouten uses custom-built instrument installations and invites listeners to engage deeply with sound and space, composing immersive musical environments that transcend traditional listening. Jasper Weynans, a Jazz & Pop student at ArtEZ, blends alternative rock, Latin, bossa, indie-pop, and groove, with jazz as his core influence, shaping soundscapes that foster deep audience connection.
Shuteen Erdenebataar Quartet
Following the Expeditie, FJIN continues at LUX with an evening of contrasting musical worlds. Shuteen Erdenebaatar’s quartet delivers a blend of youthful vigor and lyrical depth, while Norwegian duo Siril Malmedal Hauge (vocals) and Kjetil Mulelid (piano) explore elegant simplicity in their intimate performances. The festival concludes with Julie Campiche’s quartet, weaving harp, electronics, and visual elements into a refined, contemporary artistic statement.
FJIN remains the only occasion in Nijmegen offering such a concentration of international jazz artistry within a focused timeframe, doubling as a vital platform for local and emerging talents and surprising musical collaborations. Supported by venues including Brebl, Doornroosje, LUX, Meneer Otis, Podium JIN, Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen, and De Vereeniging, and with backing from Het VSBfonds, Het Cultuurfonds, Festivalhuis Nijmegen, the Municipality of Nijmegen, and Jazzstad Nijmegen, the festival continues to enrich the city’s cultural life.
Tickets and further information are available at www.fjin.nl, with social media channels providing ongoing updates and festival news.
The two-day festival presents a well-rounded and thoughtful musical landscape, offering audiences a chance to immerse themselves in the diverse and evolving jazz scene that Nijmegen fosters.
Last modified: October 7, 2025
