Johanna Summer

Johanna grew up in the city of Plauen in Saxony, Germany. At the age of seven she began with classical piano lessons. As a part of her search for music that emerges in the moment and can be played spontaneously with others, she discovered jazz. Shortly before finishing school, she made the decision to concentrate entirely on this kind of music.

She completed her bachelor’s at the Hochschule für Musik (University of Music) in Dresden. It was there that she came into contact with free improvisation in a class led by Free Jazz legend Günter Baby Sommer. Fascinated by the spontaneity of this music, she began to give solo concerts – initially based on the canon of the “Great American Songbook”, but always with an open and flexible playing style and without a pre-arranged set list. Gradually, she turned her attention more and more to her musical roots and looked for ways to set classical music in an improvised context. Her first album, »Schumann Kaleidoskop« dealt with compositions by Robert Schumann and was nominated for the German Jazz Prize in 2021.

Johanna was a member of the German National Jazz Orchestra (Bundesjazzorchester) and is a regular guest at national and international jazz and classical music festivals. At the beginning of 2023 she finished her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne and is currently living in Leipzig. Her solo record »Resonanzen« was released in January 2023. With this concert programme she refines the concept of her debut and makes pieces from different composers, ranging from Bach to Ligeti, the basis of the continuing narrative of her music.

• 2014 - 2018 — Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Piano from the University of Music Dresden
• 2018 - 2020 — Member of the German National Jazz Orchestra
• 2020 — Release of the debut solo album »Schumann Kaleidoskop« with the label ACT
• 2022 — Release of the live album »The Gallery Concerts« as a duo with the saxophonist Jakob Manz
• 2020 - 2023 — Master’s degree in Jazz Piano at the University of Music and Dance Cologne
• 2023 — Release of the solo album »Resonanzen« with the label ACT
• 2023 — Featured Guest of the WDR Bigband under chief conductor Michael Abene
• Concerts at festivals, such as the Mosel Musikfestival, Kissinger Sommer, Lucerne Festival, Jazzfest Bonn, Brilliant Corners Belfast, Catania Jazz, Jazzfest Basel and Dresdner Musikfestspiele

Awards

• Young Munich Jazz Prize (2018)
• Composition prize of Biberach Jazz Prize (2018)
• 2. Place at the EASTplugged Junior Awards (2019)
• Double nomination for German Jazz Prize (2021)
• JazzPott (2022)
• Nomination for OPUS Klassik (2023)

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