JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK

An Incredible Celebration of Jazz Education & Community at JEN2026

PresidentS' letters

Hello everyone. I’m José Antonio Díaz, President of Jazz Education Network and the wait is over.

 

Advanced Registration for the 2026 Jazz Education Network Conference is officially open. Join us in New Orleans January 7th through the 10th, 2026 for four unforgettable days of world class jazz performances, presentation exhibits and special events. But don’t wait too long. Prices increase on December 10th. Each night at the conference comes alive with spectacular concerts.

 

Wednesday we have the Live Performing Arts Academy Big Band, Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project, A Tuba to Cuba Live presented by Preservation Hall Foundation, and the Ted Nash Big Band.

 

On Thursday we have the Cal State Long Beach’s Pacific Standard Time Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Diaz Music Institute’s Caliente, the Bob Mintzer / Dave Stryker Quartet featuring Peter Erskine, and the Suspended Sea Nonette.

 

On Friday we have the Houston Latin Jazz Orchestra, Stefon Harris and Blackout, the US Army Blues Pershing’s Own, and the Second Line Arts Collective Little Stomper’s Family Band.

 

On Saturday we have the Hailey Brinnel Quintet, the Carlos Vega Jazz Quintet, and the Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra featuring Ingrid Jensen. As you can see, we have some fantastic music every single evening and this is the music you don’t want to miss.

 

Before the main event, JEN is proud to partner with the Midwest Clinic for the Jazz Pre-Conference Intensive on December 16th in Chicago. The workshop “From the Top: Building a Dynamic Jazz Program” is designed for beginning jazz educators featuring hands on strategies, rehearsal techniques, and insight from renowned educators Bethany Robinson, Roosevelt Griffin and Mary Jo Papich.

 

The Intercollegiate Community College Honors Jazz Ensemble is new this year and applications are open now. Conductors apply by October 17th. Student nominations are due by October 24th. Selected students will rehearse and perform live at the conference.

 

Don’t miss this incredible celebration of jazz education and community. Secure your spot before prices go up on December 10th and join us in New Orleans for the 2026 Jazz Education Network Conference.

 

I’ll see you there.

charlotte lang

Swiss/Dutch saxophonist Charlotte Lang was born in 1996 in Basel and studied the bachelor and master program at the JAZZCAMPUS Basel under the guidance of Domenic Landolf and Daniel Blanc. She is currently studying the Master of Music in Global Jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston under the artistic direction of Danilo Pérez. In addition she is part of Terri Lyne Carrington’s Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.

 

From 2015 to 2018, Charlotte she was a member of the Swiss National Youth Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Christian Muthspiel. Since 2020, she became a member of the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra (Bundesjazzorchester Deutschland), under the direction of Niels Klein and Ansgar Striepens. She also plays is the Austrian FJO (Frauen Jazz Orchester→Women Jazz Orchestra of Austria).

 

In 2021, Charlotte founded her own Quintet the „Charlotte Lang Group“, for what she is composing, arranging and booking. In the fall 2023, her first album will be recorded and hopefully released by a renowned label.

 

Charlotte plays in the “Swiss Jazz Orchestra” and the “Zurich Jazz Orchestra”, the two professional Big Bands of Switzerland.

Charlotte recently got the unique opportunity to write a monthly blog for the Swiss Jazz & Blues Magazine called JAZZTIME, to tell readers about her time at abroad and specifically her time at Berklee. Her graduate program lasts only until the summer of 2023. She hopes to stay in the United States to enlarge her network and build her musical career.