The Jeunesses Musicales World Big Band in concert in Passariano di Codroipo
Friday 24 of July 2026, 09:00 pm
On Friday, July 24, 2026, at 9:00 PM, the splendid setting of Villa Manin in Passariano di Codroipo will host a concert by the JM Jazz World Orchestra, the world’s premier international youth jazz orchestra.
The show is promoted by ERPAC FVG and SimulArte, bringing a musical project of global scope to Friuli Venezia Giulia. The initiative brings together young professionals on the same stage from different countries and continents, selected each year through international auditions.
The JM Jazz World Orchestra consists of 21 musicians under the age of 30 from 15 countries and 5 continents. The orchestra is an international program of Jeunesses Musicales International, the world’s oldest and largest non-profit organization dedicated to youth music, which has been active since 1945 in promoting change through music.
Each year, the ensemble collaborates with world-renowned conductors, soloists, and composers, performing on international tours and at major European and international jazz festivals. This year, following concerts in Croatia and Italy, the orchestra will continue its artistic journey with a tour in China, confirming the international nature of a project that combines advanced training, musical production, and intercultural dialogue.
A GREAT INTERNATIONAL BIG BAND LED BY LUIS BONILLA
Returning to lead the JM Jazz World Orchestra for his eighth season as Artistic Director is Luis Bonilla, an internationally recognized American trombonist, composer, and educator.
Bonilla has been a member of seminal ensembles on the global jazz scene, including the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra directed by Arturo O’Farrill, the Mingus Big Band, and Dave Douglas’s Brass Ecstasy. As a sideman, he has collaborated with artists of the caliber of McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Astrud Gilberto, Willie Colón, and Toshiko Akiyoshi.
In the pop world, he has also recorded and toured with iconic artists such as Tony Bennett, Alejandro Sanz, Diana Ross, Marc Anthony, Mary J. Blige, and Phil Collins.
Alongside his artistic career, Luis Bonilla has taught at major institutions including Temple University, the Manhattan School of Music, and the New England Conservatory. Since 2019, he has also been a permanent faculty member in the jazz department at the Kunst University of Graz.
His commitment to the JM Jazz World Orchestra demonstrates his desire to put his international experience at the service of new generations of musicians, contributing to the growth of an open, contemporary, and deeply international jazz scene.
A JOURNEY THROUGH JAZZ, ORCHESTRAL ENERGY, AND NEW GENERATIONS
The concert at Villa Manin will be an opportunity to hear a young, powerful, and cosmopolitan big band, capable of combining the tradition of orchestral jazz with contemporary languages, original arrangements, and a strong live energy.
Over the years, the JM Jazz World Orchestra has performed in prominent international contexts, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Brosella Festival, Kongsberg Jazz Festival, Jazz Middelheim, Gaume Jazz Festival, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, and the More Than Jazz Festival in Udine.
The presence of the JM Jazz World Orchestra at Villa Manin confirms the role of Friuli Venezia Giulia as a region open to international cultural projects, capable of welcoming artistic experiences that intertwine training, professionalization of young talent, and the enhancement of the region’s symbolic locations.
FREE ADMISSION AND AN EXCEPTIONAL LOCATION
The event, promoted by ERPAC FVG and SimulArte, is free of charge.
In case of bad weather, the concert will take place inside the Salone d’Onore (Hall of Honor) of Villa Manin, still ensuring the audience the opportunity to attend the performance in a setting of great historical and cultural value.
Date and Time: Friday, July 24, 2026, at 9:00 PM
Location: Villa Manin, Passariano di Codroipo
For further information:
Villa Manin: info@villamanin.it, +39 0432 821211
SimulArte: biglietteria@simularte.it, +39 0432 1482124