Australia’s oldest and most prolific University Big Band, The Sydney Conservatorium Big Band #1 is touring the East Coast in September and October including performances at three major Jazz Festivals.
Jazz audiences in Adealide, Hobart, Brisbane, Canberra, Manly, Sydney & Newcastle will be treated to a dynamic and powerhouse ensemble featuring the musicians of tomorrow, today! For two special appearances in Sydney (Oct 25) & Brisbane (Oct 27), the Orchestra will be joined by one of the worlds leading composers of her generation, Claudia Dőffinger (Germany) in her debut Australian performance of her award winning works for Big Band.
The Sydney Conservatorium Jazz Studies course, the oldest and most prestigious in Australia, runs 4x Big Bands making it the largest Jazz Orchestral program in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world! The Conservatorium Big Band #1 is our flagship ensemble and it’s alumni included a who’s who of Australian jazz luminaries, Freedman Fellows, National Jazz Award winners and a healthy cohort of NY based alumni currently taking on the world. Led by Australian Jazz Luminary and Big Band fanatic, David Theak, the SCBB set list has been curated and meticulously rehearsed to present the hippest available repertoire including cutting edge originals by the worlds leading composers, time honoured classics and vocal led classics reworked in a contemporary way.
Sydney Conservatorium of Music – Jazz Orchestra – Grant Leslie Photography
Claudia Dőffinger Biography
“She is a musical force with scary potential” – All about Jazz
German Jazz pianist, bandleader and composer Claudia Döffinger is a rising star of the European Big Band scene having finished a master degree in Jazz piano and pedagogy at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CH) as well as a master degree in Jazz composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (AT).
Claudia´s biggest passion is big band! In 2018 she published her first big band album „Monochrome“. Since summer 2021 Claudia is living in Cologne, composing, arranging and working a lot for large ensembles like the hr Big Band (D), Subway Jazz Orchestra (D), Spielvereinigung Sued (D), Jazzkombinat Hamburg (D),Big Band Zug (CH) and UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra (FI).
Recently she founded her own big band „TORSO VENTUNO“, where she brought together musicians from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Germany, which she had met in the last 15 years on her musical path. The debut album just has been recorded in march 2024 and will be out on february, 14th 2025.
She is founder of several smaller ensembles, like fourscape (experimental groove) and ELiNOR (acoustic Jazz quintet) with which she has toured actively all over the world and published many albums: 2020 the third album of fourscape ‚Better angry than sad‘ and 2021 the debut album of ELiNOR ‚von oben‘ came out.
Döffinger wants to move people through her music, either emotionally or physically.
Claudia was honored with several national and international prizes: she won the first prize at the Helsinki International Big Band Composing Contest (FL/2021) and was nominated for Deutscher Jazzpreis in the category ´best arrangement` (DE/2021). Further she received the Harald-Kaufmann-Preis and Startstipendium (AT/2018). She won the Downbeat Student Music Award (2017&2018/USA) and was honoured at the 3rd International Composition Contest Katowitz (PL/2016). Last but not least Claudia was one of the selected participants for the Metropole Arrangers Workshop with the Grammy winner Lalah Hathaway and conductor Vince Mendoza (NL/2015).
Claudia taught Jazz composition and arrangement at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CH) and at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (DE).
https://www.instagram.com/claudiadoeffinger/?hl=de
https://www.facebook.com/claudia.doffinger/
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@claudiadoffinger206
Gig Details:
Monday 27th October 2025
10 Exhibition St, Bowen Hills
Doors from 7:30PM
Music starts on the downbeat of 8PM
General: $20 ENTRY +BF & GST
Concession: $10 ENTRY +BF & GST
Head to our Humanitix to purchase limited seated tickets
How do I purchase a ticket?
Tickets are being sold through Humanitix. Purchase limited seated tickets here. Due to JMI Live being an intimate space, we have a maximum number of guests allowed in the venue. We highly recommend it is best to get in early before tickets sell out.
What is JMI Live?
JMI Live presents live jazz in Brisbane every Thursday night from 8pm and a jam session after each gig. JMI Live is renowned for its intimate setting, providing the best opportunity to listen to live jazz in Brisbane. Just like a jazz club in New York, this venue is the ideal location for great jazz music, acoustics and atmosphere.
Location
JMI Live is located at 10 Exhibition Street, Bowen Hills.
Live streaming
All JMI Live concerts are live streamed to JMI’s YouTube account. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to access our free live streams.
Ticket Refund Policy
If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms and are unable to attend after having purchased a ticket, please contact the JMI office (07 3216 1110 or email play@jazz.qld.edu.au) as soon as possible during business hours (10AM-4PM) to let us know you won’t be able to attend. A full refund will be given if we are contacted prior to a performance. Refunds will not be processed if we are contacted after the gig.