About Nardis Young Jazz Vocal Competition

Purpose and Subject

The purpose of the “Young Jazz Musician” competition organized by Nardis Jazz Club is to help young people in Turkey who are engaged in music, whether amateur or professional, develop in the field of jazz and make their voices heard, to enable them to perform on international stages, and to encourage them.

Following the live final evaluation at Nardis Jazz Club on March 30, 2026;

1 contestant will perform at the 33rd Istanbul Jazz Festival, 1 contestant at the 35th Akbank Jazz Festival, 1 contestant at the 30th Ankara Jazz Festival, and 1 contestant at the 10th Bodrum Jazz Festival.

Honorable mention awards will also be given at the end of the competition, to be announced later.

Selection

Musicians who will participate in the “Young Jazz Musician” auditions must apply to Nardis Jazz Club as specified in these regulations. Evaluations will be made through a two-stage selection process based on these applications. In the first stage, those selected by the selection committee from among the submitted applications will be invited to the performance auditions in the second stage. Following the evaluation concert, which will be open to the public and consist of live performances by the candidates, the jazz musicians deemed successful by the selection committee will receive the awards described above.

Participation Conditions

1. Musicians must not be older than 30 years of age as of January 1, 2026,
2. Candidates must be Turkish citizens,
3. Application files and demo recordings must be submitted via email (focan@nardisjazz.com) by Monday evening, March 9, 2026 at the latest.
4. Candidates’ application files must include;
   • Demo recordings in MP3 format,
   • [This demo should include pieces in 3 different styles that can be classified as jazz (swing, latin, blues, funk, etc.)]
   • Brief biography, phone number and email addresses must be included.

All applicants are deemed to have fully accepted the provisions of these regulations. Submitted application files and demo recordings will not be returned.

Required Qualities in Submitted Demos

1. Only applications in the fields of classical/contemporary jazz and its sub-disciplines, blues, current genres influenced by blues and jazz (for example; jazz-fusion, jazz-rock, jazz funk, soul, acid-jazz, latin jazz, pop-jazz, groove, electronic jazz, urban, r&b, jazz-blues, etc.) will be evaluated in the auditions. Applications outside of jazz and its derivatives will not be considered for evaluation.
2. The demos and the repertoire to be performed in the preliminary rounds and finals may consist of the candidates’ own original compositions or reinterpretations of existing works.
3. The demo must be in MP3 format.
4. Demo recordings must consist of 3 pieces.

Since recording quality is not a selection criterion in the evaluation of demos, it is not necessary for the recordings to be made in a professional studio. It will be sufficient for the pieces played and instruments to be heard at an understandable level.

Selection Committee

Members of the Selection Committee who will conduct the evaluation:

• Arda Öztaşkın, YKB Corporate Communications Director
• Bulut Gülen, Musician
• Cem Tuncer, Musician
• Gözde Sivişoğlu, Akbank Jazz Festival Director
• Hakan Tüfekçi, Radio Programmer
• Harun İzer, Istanbul Jazz Festival Director
• Kaan Bıyıkoğlu, Musician
• Önder Focan, Musician and Nardis Art Director
• Özlem Oktar Varoğlu, Ankara and Bodrum Jazz Festival Director
• Sıtkı Sırtanadolu, Musician and Pera77 Art Director
• Sedat Ergin, Journalist
• Sibel Köse, Musician

Nardis Jazz Club may appoint another person of its choosing as a selection committee member in the event that any Selection Committee member resigns from membership or is unable to participate in committee activities.

Evaluation

1. The deadline for applications is Monday, March 9, 2026.
2. The demo recordings of jazz musicians who have submitted their applications by April 21 will be listened to by the Selection Committee, and by taking the average of the evaluations that selection committee members will make for each contestant, the ten most successful applications will be invited to the evaluation concert. The announcement regarding this invitation will be published on Nardis’s website and communicated directly to the relevant participants.
3. The evaluation concert will be held open to the audience at Nardis Jazz Club on Monday, March 30, 2026. Musicians invited to the evaluation concert will perform two pieces of their choice with a trio to be designated by the club, in front of the audience and the selection committee. The performance order will be determined by lottery.
4. Following the evaluation concert, the selection committee will select and announce the finalists who have earned the right to participate in the “Young Jazz Musician” concerts.

Concerts

1 contestant will perform at the 33rd Istanbul Jazz Festival, 1 contestant at the 35th Akbank Jazz Festival, 1 contestant at the 30th Ankara Jazz Festival, and 1 contestant at the 10th Bodrum Jazz Festival. 2 contestants will earn the right to record one piece each at PÜR Recording Studio.

The winning contestant will have the opportunity to record a Single of an original composition in jazz or a jazz subgenre at Pür Recording & Residence. The recorded work will be produced by Pür Records, with mix & mastering processes completed, and released under the Pür Records label. For all details about the prize and the recording program, please visit the link below: https://purmuzik-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/p/arin/IQBSkULHElytTo1Ju24-CYkAAQdE7-JsuoTo7IMORAVPbu8?e=8eJLpm

Additionally, honorable mentions such as various jazz club performances and radio programs will be awarded to suitable contestants.

Technical Requirements

Musicians will be given the opportunity to rehearse with the group that will play for them at Nardis at a time to be determined before the competition. Those participating from outside Istanbul are responsible for their own transportation and accommodation expenses.

Contact Information

Nardis Jazz Club
Galata Kulesi Sokak No. 8
Kuledibi- Istanbul
0212-2446327
www.nardisjazz.com
focan@nardisjazz.com