The 42nd Skopje Jazz Festival, taking place from October 19 to 22 at the National Opera and Ballet and MKC, will feature eleven bands from the USA, Europe, Brazil, and Macedonia. The festival is set to showcase performances by some of the most prominent figures in contemporary jazz.

The festival will commence on Thursday evening with the debut performance of “After the Wildfire,” a composition by Norwegian jazz musicians Arve Henriksen and Jan Bang. They will be joined by percussionist Ingar Zach, and Dzhijan Emin will conduct the Fame’s Institute Orchestra, featuring Macedonian kaval players and singers. Chicago composer and multi-instrumentalist Ben LaMar Gay will follow with a performance.

On Friday evening, Italian saxophonist Roberto Ottaviano will perform with his Eternal Love band. Contemporary improvisers Sylvie Courvoisier on piano and Mary Halvorson on guitar will take the stage. The final band of the evening will be Cobalt Code Unit, featuring Dragan Teodosiev on drums, Simeon Angelovski on bass guitar, synthesizer, and harmonica, Stefan Miladinov on guitar, and Blagojche Tomevski on clarinet.

Saturday evening will feature a solo recital by American jazz pianist Jason Moran. Jazz vibraphonist Joel Ross will perform with his Good Vibes quartet. The tandem Rite, comprising Italian clarinetist Zoe Pia and Swedish reed player Mats Gustafsson, will perform at midnight.

On Sunday evening, the festival will present a performance by the Zlatko Kaučič/Barry Guy/Agustí Fernández trio, followed by a concert by Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra. The festival will conclude with a performance by the Brazilian band Bixiga 70, promoting their newly released album “Vapor” (Glitterbeat Records).

The festival will also present its traditional Best Young Jazz Musician Prize, host a “Jazz for Kids” children’s workshop, and raise awareness about refugee issues through a “Jazz For Solidarity With Refugees” event in cooperation with UNHCR.