Portrait

The Jazzcampus brings together the Academy of Music FHNW, the Musikschule Jazz, the Jazzcampus Club and a vibrant meeting place for musicians under one roof. Jointly run by the Musik-Akademie Basel and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), it is a place for musicians, students and jazz enthusiasts from Basel, the region and around the world. As an internationally connected hub for contemporary music, the Jazzcampus brings together people with diverse musical and cultural perspectives. Jazz is not only taught but lived and continuously developed together.

The opening of the Jazzcampus in September 2014 marked a new chapter in the history of the Musik-Akademie Basel. Since then, the Jazzcampus has brought together the Institut Jazz of the Basel Academy of Music FHNW, the Musikschule Basel and the Jazzcampus Club under one roof, creating a shared space for education, artistic practice and cultural exchange.

The story of the Jazzcampus began in 1986 with the founding of the Jazzcasino by Bernhard Ley at the Sommercasino Basel. What started with two teaching rooms and a small office in the basement gradually developed into a place where jazz education and musical exchange could flourish.

In 1991, the Jazz School Basel was officially recognized by the Cantonal School Agreement and the Swiss Association of Music Education (SMPV). In 1996, it relocated to Reinacherstrasse, supported in part by the Christoph Merian Foundation. In 2000, its professional degree program was integrated into the Academy of Music as the Department of Jazz at the Academy of Music Basel FHNW.

In 2008, the Jazz School became part of the Musikschule Jazz, while the Academy of Music Basel was integrated into the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). With the opening of the Jazzcampus Basel on Utengasse in the heart of Basel's Kleinbasel district, the Basel Academy of Music FHNW, the Musikschule Jazz, Focusyear, and the Jazzcampus Club association moved into their shared home in 2014.

Today, more than 200 students of the Musikschule Jazz and over 130 students of the Basel Academy of Music FHNW study and work at the Jazzcampus. Internationally active teachers and faculty members support them in their musical and artistic development.

The construction of the Jazzcampus was funded by the Habitat Foundation, while the expansion of the Musikschule Jazz was financed by the Levedo Foundation. Architects Buol & Zünd combined historic architecture with contemporary design to create a building complex conceived from the ground up to meet the needs of music, education and artistic practice. Under one roof, the Jazzcampus brings together spaces for teaching, rehearsing, performing and recording. Its in-house club, recording studios, as well as a wide range of ensemble and concert formats, enable students to continuously develop their work and present it in exchange with fellow musicians. Located close to the Rhine and Basel's historic Old Town, the Jazzcampus provides an open environment for exchange, collaboration and artistic practice.