Concerts, musicals and classes: Lion City Jazz Festival stages biggest edition in 2026

SINGAPORE – Annual music event Lion City Jazz Festival (LCJF) is staging its biggest edition yet – a full month of jazz across the island that kicked off on Feb 28 and will run until March 28.

Now in its sixth edition, the formerly week-long event promises something for both long-time jazz fans as well as those new to the genre.

“I think the expansion of the festival addresses both the growing interest in jazz and also the bigger audiences for jazz now,” says Jeremy Monteiro, the festival’s artistic director and executive director of organiser Jazz Association (Singapore) (JASS).

“Over the 10 years that JASS has been around, we have seen the interest in jazz grow, along with the depth in the appreciation of jazz.”

He credits not just JASS, but also other initiatives such as the Esplanade’s two decades of jazz programming as well as grassroots communities like Thomson Jazz Club, for cultivating the ground.

“JASS is yet another dynamo in this coalition to lift the interest in jazz, growing audiences and raising the levels of excellence in jazz in Singapore,” he adds.

With gigs at concert halls and theatres, school-friendly musicals and masterclasses, the programming is curated to welcome those curious about jazz as well as loyal fans.

Home-grown musician Chok Kerong, who serves as co-music director for LCJF together with Monteiro and seasoned musician Tan Weixiang, explains the curation: “It’s a combination of a couple of factors – the artistic programming itself and the spaces in which these events take place.”

There are free fringe concerts featuring acts like Monteiro, Rit Xu Vortet and Dawn Wong & The Shanghai Jazz Club at *Scape Ground Theatre on March 14 and 15.

The Brecker Brothers & Beyond, the finale concert at Gateway Theatre on March 28, boasts seven-time Grammy Award-winning American trumpeter Randy Brecker and American saxophonist Ada Rovatti, as well as Japanese trombonist Eijiro Nakagawa, Monteiro and Chok.

LCJF’s most distinctive offering may be Singaporeana, a concert that asks the question: What does Singapore sound like in jazz?

Under Chok’s direction, the show that takes place at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre on March 7 brings together local artistes including Sezairi, Joanna Dong, weish, Dru Chen, Sushma Soma, Tim De Cotta, Alemay Fernandez and Namie Rasman.

These musicians, from various genres and backgrounds, will be performing reimagined versions of their music alongside the Singaporeana Ensemble, which represents the concert’s multicultural ambition – traditional instruments such as erhu, zhonghu, dizi, mridangam and rebana sit alongside jazz instrumentation.

“The music touches on a wide range of traditions,” says Chok, who adds that collaboration was a central theme for the show.

For example, he worked with singer-songwriter weish on a rearrangement of a piece from her Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025 project Stray Gods, and co-wrote a new work with Carnatic singer and Young Artist Award recipient Soma.

Chok says of the partnership with Soma: “This was very exciting for me because it was a great opportunity to find common ground between her musical language and mine. I think the audience will feel this spirit of openness and collaboration at the concert.”

LCJF’s scope extends to the very young too. A new musical, Jazz For Kids: The Kid Who Found The Groove, was written to introduce children to jazz through story and improvisation.

Presented by JASS and children’s theatre company Act 3 Theatrics, the interactive performances take place at *Scape’s The Gallery on March 14.

With new music composed by Tan, who is also JASS’ deputy music director, the musical is an effort to expose youth and children to jazz at an earlier age, says Monteiro.

“The storyline is fun and engaging, and well illustrated by the instruments being played and the tunes, which are rich with jazz improvisation.”

Book It/Lion City Jazz Festival 2026

Where: Various venues
When: Until March 28, various times
Admission: Free and ticketed via Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
Info: For full programme and details, go to lioncityjazz.com