A pioneering festival spotlighting improvisational arts centered on jazz is set to open this weekend on the Saronic island of Aegina, according to organizers.
The event aims to showcase Greece's first official body dedicated to jazz and improvisation, the Jazz Solidarity Network.
The two-day Aegina Jazz Festival, running July 11–12 at the former Kapodistrian Orphanage, will pair live jazz performances with contemporary dance, featuring more than a dozen musicians and choreographers from Aegina and Athens.
"This is more than a music festival," said Mr. Kosmas Anagnostopoulos, co-founder of the Jazz Solidarity Network. "It’s a celebration of spontaneous creativity, drawing together our island’s artistic community and jazz practitioners from around Greece."
The program will open each night at 9 p.m. with a quartet led by local guitarist Mr. Alekos Vretos performing "Mediterranean Echoes."
This will be followed by a five-member free dance improvisation featuring dancer Ms. Maria Mavridou.
Headliners for the festival include the Flying Jazz Trio on Friday and the Benetatos-Affolter Vocal Jazz Quartet on Saturday, blending vocal jazz, funk, and Ethiopian-inspired sounds.
Held in the historic building that once served as a political prison from 1880 to 1985, the festival underscores Aegina’s cultural revival and offers an accessible summer getaway just a short boat ride from Athens. Tickets start at 7.50 euros ($8.15).
By Katerina Poulopoulou