Chaerin Im and the artists she works with – Phase Shift, read their bio’s →
English – Bio’s in het Nederlands
Chaerin Im – pianist I composer, based in Amsterdam & Seoul
“A defining voice in the new wave of European jazz.”
Chaerin Im’s musical identity is forged in the friction between two worlds. Her journey began in the high-pressure, rigid classical piano scene of Seoul, defined by a hunger for mastery and rapid adaptation. This foundation met its contrast in the Netherlands, where the academic rigor of Amsterdam provided a base, but the social grit of Rotterdam provided the soul.
As the 2026 Artist in Focus, Chaerin explores the “in-between” state. A nomadic artistic existence that refuses to be categorized. This trajectory marks a significant sound shift: a transition from the traditional jazz piano roots toward an electronic, synth-heavy landscape. For Chaerin, Rotterdam is the perfect laboratory for this research; it is a city that feels raw, industrial, and unrefined, yet remains socially open and deeply connected through its large Asian community.
Chaerin Im is the Artist in Focus for North Sea Round Town 2026. From 25 June to 12 July 2026, she will tour Rotterdam with her main project Phase Shift – A Sonic Collision of Seoul and Rotterdam, and a series of special performances in collaboration with various musicians and artists. View all of Chaerin Im’s concerts during North Sea Round Town here. Chaerin Im will develop and perform a total of nine concerts as part of this artistic trajectory.
Explore the full concert series here →
Bio – Chaerin Im
Chaerin Im (b. 1999) is an unbounded and pioneering pianist and composer based in Amsterdam (NL). Her untamed electronic jazz blends influences from Floating Points, Dorian Concept, Salami Rose Joe Louis, and Sam Gendel. Chaerin explores in her compositions how digital processing can live alongside acoustic instruments without losing the energy of a live band. She is releasing a debut EP Olsen with her other project Neon River, and has performed with Jasper Høiby, Jamie Peet, and Reinier Baas at venues and festivals such as Bimhuis, November Music, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Paradiso.
Growing from her foundational roles in acoustic projects like the Sun-Mi Hong Quintet , Chaerin has firmly established herself as a forward thinking bandleader in 2024 and 2025. Her 2025 debut album Midnight Resets (Dox Records) completely abandons traditional jazz expectations. Instead, it crashes shimmering synthesizers and Korean indie into complex rhythmic structures. She continues this experimental streak with her late 2025 EP aïe aïe, featuring Otis Sandsjö, which leans more towards her envisioned hybrid sound.
The Dutch and European industry is paying close attention to this hybrid sound. Chaerin won First Prize at the Keep An Eye International Jazz Award and was named the 2024 Young Artist of the Year by NRC. Her unique sound also secured her a 2025 Edison Jazz Award nomination as a newcomer. Honed at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam , her music delivers a wide screen majesty where melodies constantly transform and evolve. She is the Artist in Focus for North Sea Round Town 2026, during which she will present new concerts and collaborations. Read more about Chaerin Im and the Artist in Focus program here.
Credits by Govert Driessen
Jamie’s project, the Jamie Peet Reflex band, featuring Joel Ross, Ben van Gelder, and Pat Cleaver, was born out of a ‘carte blanche’ composition assignment at the BIMHUIS Amsterdam. The resulting sold-out show resonated with both audience and critics, creating an uplifting and memorable atmosphere from start to finish. With this all-star line-up, Jamie’s first fully composed work, Daily New Beginning, also features contributions from special guest composers and will be released on vinyl on 26 June 2026 via Bim Records.
“This ensemble is highly cohesive and sounds as though they have been playing together for years. The compositions are impressive, effortlessly and continually blending a rich palette of harmonic colours.” **** Volkskrant
Credits by Mik Bosch
Matteo Mazzù is a Belgian bass player, composer, improviser and producer based in Amsterdam. Driven by a deep love for music and a continuous search for artistic expression, he has developed a distinctive approach to the electric bass, combining a strong sense of groove and accompaniment with a fearless creative voice. Alongside his work as an in-demand sideman for artists across Europe, he co-leads the project Neon River.
His versatile practice spans jazz, indie, hip-hop and alternative electronic music, while also extending into multidisciplinary collaborations. Mazzù regularly works with artists from other disciplines, including Chinese multimedia artist Muxingye Chen and Iranian-Dutch storyteller Sahand Sahebdivani, exploring new intersections between music, narrative and performance.
Mazzù has performed and recorded with a wide range of internationally acclaimed artists and projects. As a member of ensembles such as Neon River, WAAN, Guillaume Vierset’s EDGES, the Eloi Pascual Quartet and the Chaerin Im Quartet, he has appeared at renowned venues and festivals across Europe, North America and Asia, including Bimhuis, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Berlin Philharmonie, KOKO London and Flagey Brussels.
Credits by Charlie Weinmann
Saxophonist and composer Nicole McCabe has quickly emerged as one of the defining new voices in contemporary jazz. Rooted in the hard-bop tradition yet unafraid to explore electronic textures, expansive improvisation, and modern rhythmic language, her music reflects a bold, searching artistry shaped by both deep study and fearless experimentation.
Originally from Marin County and now based in Los Angeles, McCabe has crafted a sound that is unmistakably her own: full of narrative clarity, melodic intuition, and a wide-open sense of curiosity. Her work as both a soloist and a bandleader highlight a commitment to ensemble interplay and compositional storytelling, and her collaborations with some of today’s most forward-thinking musicians continue to broaden her creative range.
With this new release, McCabe adds another vivid chapter to her rapidly expanding body of work, offering music that is both grounded and exploratory—an honest celebration of artistry, mastery and above all, endless color in sound.
credits by the artist
Muxingye Chen is a Rotterdam-based Chinese cross-media artist working with experimental film, computer-generated imagery, 3D scanning, field recording, and performance. His projects often take the form of immersive audiovisual installations and performative environments that combine sensing technologies, spatial data, and generative media. His research examines how cultural identity and environmental perception evolve within data-driven technological ecosystems. By capturing signals from landscapes and built environments and translating them into audiovisual systems, Chen investigates how technological infrastructures reshape relationships between diasporic memory, ecological processes, and human perception. Actively engaged in the public art scene, Chen presents his work through video installations, audiovisual performances, film screenings, and workshops. His work has been presented internationally, including at Rotterdam Art Week, The International Film Festival Rotterdam, ADE Amsterdam, Grand Theatre Groningen, AAIE Rome, AOTU Space Beijing and Nerhi Festival Tibet.
About Cineac
Next to Rotterdam’s iconic Bijenkorf department store stands a hidden piece of the city’s history: the former Cineac Rotterdam. Opened in 1957 as a pioneering cinema for newsreels and documentaries, the building later found a second life as a restaurant before standing empty for several years.
Specially for the premiere of Phase Shift – A Sonic Collision of Seoul and Rotterdam, this remarkable space is transformed into a temporary concert hall. No longer a cinema or restaurant, but a raw, industrial and intimate setting for a one-off artistic experience. Artist in Focus Chaerin Im joins forces with visual artist Muxingye Chen to create an immersive performance where electronic music and real-time visuals intertwine. Sound, image and space continuously respond to one another, transforming the former Cineac into a living environment suspended between past and future.
For North Sea Round Town, the venue opens once again, welcoming audiences back for the first time in years. A building reinventing itself becomes the perfect setting for a work that does exactly the same.