New makers, premieres & early bird tickets, don’t miss out!
English – let’s switch naar Nederlands
We are getting ready for a summer filled with new creations, premieres and artistic encounters across the city. In this newsletter, three makers take centre stage, each opening up new worlds in their own way: Artist in Focus Chaerin Im, Rotterdam-based Femme in Focus Jèryh Luz, and Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti, who opens the festival with RUNA BECOMES SUN. Expect new music, personal trajectories, special collaborations and projects moving between jazz, electronics, performance and community.
Read the makers’ interviews, discover the first concerts and events, and get your tickets with early bird discount.
Chaerin Im Artist in Focus 2026
Chaerin Im – foto Mooeul Kim
This summer, Chaerin Im takes centre stage as Artist in Focus 2026. With the premiere of Phase Shift – A Sonic Collision of Seoul and Rotterdam on Thursday 2 July, she moves between Seoul and Rotterdam’s underground scene: dark, electronic, raw and entirely synth-driven. Across the city, her full trajectory unfolds — from a high-energy live show with Neon River at WORM to an intimate return to her jazz roots at Batavierhuis, and a personal evening at Fenix where Korean food culture, community and music come together. It is no coincidence that NRC named her Young Artist of the Year 2024.
Get your early bird tickets for the premiere here. Her interview is now online as well, where she talks about her soundshift, curiosity and why, according to her, you only find the middle once you’ve first gone to the extreme.
SAVE THE DATE – 3 x tips CHAERIN IM
NSRT op de Kaap x Fenix
At Fenix, Chaerin Im reveals a personal side of her Artist in Focus trajectory. Together with Pocha Rotterdam, she presents “Midnight Resets”: an evening where Korean food culture, city-pop DJ sets and live music come together around home, memories, community and her move from Seoul to the Netherlands. With Sunstroll (guitar/electronics) and Lucas Sim (DJ), a warm and intimate encounter unfolds where music, food and stories come together, with Rotterdam’s Asian community at its heart. Dinner reservations are available through ticket sales; the concert itself is free to attend. Wed 8 Jul 2026 – tickets available soon
Chaerin Im Trio x Alessandro Fongaro
At Batavierhuis, Chaerin Im returns to her jazz roots with her trio, together with Paddy Fitzgerald, Ludvig Søndergaard and Artist in Focus 2024 Alessandro Fongaro. While her main project Phase Shift moves towards electronics and synths, this concert lets you hear the place where her development in the Netherlands began: a meeting of piano, improvisation, experimentation and lyricism. The evening opens with a solo set by Alessandro Fongaro, followed by the Chaerin Im Trio. This concert is part of Batavierhuis x NSRT. Mon 6 July 2026 – tickets available soon
Neon River
Chaerin Im brings her live electronics project Neon River, presented by Space is the Place (SITP) x WORM x NSRT: a raw, high-energy live show where improvisation, electronics and club music come together. Together with Matteo Mazzù and Pedro Nobre, she builds a sound that is equally physical and emotional: danceable, layered and fully performed live. Drawing from her background in jazz and the Korean classical piano scene, Chaerin consciously explores the tension between improvisation, electronics and live club energy. Neon River is where Chaerin’s sound shift began. Fri 3 Jul 2026 – tickets available soon
Rotterdam-based Femme in Focus Jèryh Luz
credits by the artist
This summer, Jèryh Luz takes centre stage as Rotterdam-based Femme in Focus 2026. From a residency and LAB at Boerderij Driebergen, she develops new repertoire together with her ensemble, bringing together jazz, neo-soul, fusion and personal stories. The project premieres there on Saturday 27 June, after which it moves through Rotterdam in different settings and line-ups – from intimate concerts to larger stages across the city. For Jèryh, the trajectory revolves around artistic freedom, female leadership and letting go of perfectionism.
Get your early bird tickets for the premiere here. Her interview is now online as well, where she talks about her musical roots, Rotterdam as home base, freedom and finding her own sound.
SAVE THE DATE – 3 x tips JÈRYH LUZ
Café Dox All Female Jam x Femme in Focus
At Café Dox, Femme in Focus joins forces with All Female Jam for an open jam session full of groove, spontaneity and new encounters. Together with host Nanda Akkerman and an all-star house band, Jèryh Luz joins an evening where the line-up remains open and the music develops live on stage. From neo-soul and improvisation to unexpected collaborations: an evening where makers meet, challenge each other and build something new together. Tue 30 Jun 2026 – free entrance
Pèle Surf Shack x Hoek van Holland by bike
During Hoek van Holland by Bike, Jèryh Luz brings her Femme in Focus project to Pèle Surf Shack for the final concert by the sea. Together with Noam Wallé, Richie Pattynama, Siegfried Hart and Miran Noh, she performs a warm live set filled with neo-soul, jazz and groove, while the sun slowly disappears towards the horizon. Pèle Surf Shack marks the final stop of the bike tour, but you are just as welcome to join on the terrace for music, pizza, drinks and a relaxed summer evening at the beach. Sat 4 Jul 2026 – early bird tickets for Hoek van Holland by Bike are now available
Dunya Festival in Zuiderpark x Jèryh Luz
During Dunya Festival, Jèryh Luz brings her Femme in Focus project in full line-up to Zuiderpark. Together with Noam Wallé, Richie Pattynama, Siegfried Hart, Miran Noh and Femke Mooren, she creates a live set where jazz, neo-soul and different musical influences come together. Within the relaxed and festive atmosphere of Dunya Festival, the project takes on a new energy: open, danceable and carried by the cultural richness and diversity of Rotterdam. Sun 5 Jul 2026, free entrance
Opening night
credits by the artist
With RUNA BECOMES SUN by AWICHAS from Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti, we ease into the festival and step into another world. Created especially for the opening night, this new work unfolds slowly through sound, rhythm and light. Drawing you into a sensory experience. A moment to land, to breathe, before the city sets in motion for three weeks. Thu 25 June 2026 – early bird tickets (untill 29 May) are now available
Three weeks of live music in the heart of summer
Faroffa – photo: Dietrich Van Gobbel
The Open Call just closed, we’re right in the middle of the selection. Together with musicians, makers and venues across the city, we’re building a new edition. This summer, we move through Rotterdam again with North Sea Round Town (co-) productions and Open Call projects. Together, we form the fringe of North Sea Jazz: 375 concerts, 175 locations, one city.
From 25 June to 12 July 2026, we’re everywhere.
The countdown is on.
