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New Ownership at Germany’s ELBJAZZ Festival
November19
Hamburg’s ELBJAZZ festival will return in 2026 under a new ownership structure, with Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbH assuming majority control of ELBJAZZ GmbH and taking sole responsibility for all programming and operational decisions.
The reshaped structure sees the previous shareholder group — FKP Scorpio Konzertproduktionen, Inferno Events, Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion, and co-founder Nina Sauer — reorganised so that Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion now leads the business.
Co-founder Nina Sauer continues as an advisory shareholder.
Management also shifts as CEO Ben Mitha succeeds outgoing managing directors Folkert Koopmans (FKP Scorpio) and Karsten Jahnke.
Alongside the ownership changes, organisers confirmed that ELBJAZZ will return on 10–11 July 2026, following a one-year pause.
The festival will reposition itself closer to other major European jazz events, with around 30 acts spanning jazz and related genres.
Early artist announcements include Jamie Cullum, José James with China Moses performing I Want You, Greentea Peng, Herbert & Momoko, and the NDR Bigband with John Beasley marking the centenary of Miles Davis’s birth. The Elbphilharmonie specials will feature Joss Stone, with a second headliner to follow.
The 2026 edition also introduces adjustments to the festival’s venue layout.
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