UCT Jazz Festival 2025
23 – 25 September 2025
Baxter Concert Hall | W.H. Bell Music Library
Presented by: South African College of Music, University of Cape Town

The South African College of Music (SACM) at the University of Cape Town is proud to announce the return of its much-anticipated annual UCT Jazz Festival, taking place from 23 to 25 September 2025 (with an additional lunch hour concert on 22 September). Spanning four days of music-making, the festival showcases UCT’s exceptional talent.

The SACM is home to the continent’s leading jazz training programme, established in 1989 by Emeritus Associate Professor Michael Campbell. Over the decades, it has cultivated generations of award-winning artists who have made an indelible mark on the international stage. The UCT Jazz Festival continues this tradition by offering a platform for innovation, collaboration and the preservation of live music performance.

A recent addition of the  festival features free Library Desk lunch hour concerts at the W.H. Bell Music Library, inspired by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series, alongside evening performances at the Baxter Concert Hall. Presented in continued partnership with the W.H. Bell Music Library, these concerts bring live performance into a space historically dedicated to music scholarship, creating a powerful bridge between artistic practice and research, and transforming the library into a living archive of South African jazz heritage.

Celebrating Innovation, Heritage and Collaboration

The evening performances at the Baxter Concert Hall during the UCT Jazz Festival 2025 offer three distinct celebrations of jazz artistry, each approximately one hour in length. On Tuesday, 23 September, the UCT Jazz Vocal Showcase presents a diverse performance program of select vocal students curated by Nomfundo Xaluva-Dyantyis and Abigail Houghton. Featuring the 5-piece UCT Jazz Voices under the direction of Amy Campbell, this concert celebrates the rich and expansive styles of the jazz vocal tradition.

On Wednesday, 24 September, the spotlight shifts to the UCT Big Band Heritage Day Celebration, directed by Justin Bellairs. This high-energy performance honours Heritage Day through a dynamic mix of styles, blending the soulful rhythms of South African jazz with Latin influences, classic swing, and the sophistication of contemporary big band music.

The final evening, Thursday, 25 September, features the UCT Creative Collab Project, a boundary-pushing performance showcasing original works developed during the Creative Collab Project week. Born from an interdisciplinary initiative between the Jazz and African Music sections, this concert reflects the spirit of cross-cultural collaboration, highlighting new compositions created through ensemble work, improvisation, and composition workshops. Together, these evening concerts promise a rich and diverse celebration of South Africa’s jazz heritage.

Admission
• Lunch Hour Concerts – Free entry (limited seasting to 80 people)
• Evening Concerts at Baxter Concert Hall – Booking via Webtickets

Festival Line-up:

Monday, 22 September
• 1-2pm: Library Desk Lunch Hour Concert
   Venue: W.H. Bell Music Library

Tuesday, 23 September
• 1-2pm: Library Desk Lunch Hour Concert
   Venue: W.H. Bell Music Library
• 7-8pm: UCT Jazz Vocal Showcase
   Venue: Baxter Concert Hall

Wednesday, 24 September
• 7-8pm: UCT Big Band Heritage Day Celebration
   Venue: Baxter Concert Hall

Thursday, 25 September
• 1-2pm: Library Desk Lunch Hour Concert
   Venue: W.H. Bell Music Library
• 7-8pm: UCT Creative Collab Experiment
   Venue: Baxter Concert Hall

For further information or enquiries please contact Fiona Grayer via email concerts@uct.ac.za