International Jazz Camp For Girls Summit to Focus on Advancing Equality in Jazz

4.6.2025

In June 2025, Helsinki will host a three-day summit bringing together jazz professionals from around the world to exchange knowledge and practices aimed at promoting equality, equity and diversity in the jazz field. At the heart of the event is JazzDanmark’s internationally awarded Jazz Camp for Girls concept, which has also been implemented in Finland since 2022.

The Finnish Jazz Federation and JazzDanmark are organizing the international Jazz Camp for Girls Summit in Helsinki from June 16th to 18th, 2025. Around twenty professionals will come together to share best practices and teaching methods, learn from one another, and co-develop new ideas. The goal is to further develop and expand the Jazz Camp for Girls concept and accelerate progress toward equality in jazz.

Among the speakers and trainers at the summit are Agnete Seerup, Jazz Camp for Girls project manager and JazzDanmark’s deputy director and head of communications; Danish musician, music educator, and composer Anders Boye Knudsen; and Canadian jazz advocate and artistic director Lisa Buck.

Launched by JazzDanmark in 2014, Jazz Camp for Girls is an internationally recognized concept aimed at inspiring girls aged 10–15 — as well as those who identify as girls — to explore jazz, improvisation, and composition. The initiative expanded to the UK in 2019 and to Finland, Sweden, and Poland in 2022. Since then, it has also been adopted in the Netherlands, Belgium, India, Ireland, Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. In 2020, the European Jazz Network awarded the Danish Jazz Camp for Girls initiative the “Music and Community” prize.

Gender balance in the music industry is changing slowly

Women continue to be significantly underrepresented among music industry professionals, and there has been little notable change over the past decade. The proportion of women as composers and lyricists has remained at around 20% both in Finland and globally. Among performers and producers in Finland, the share of women has remained at approximately 25%, with little positive development observed (Sources: Teosto Report 2024, Barometer 2025).

In jazz specifically, gender imbalance has traditionally been more pronounced, with women most often occupying the role of vocalist. Research shows that music education plays a crucial role in promoting equality and non-discrimination, and the Jazz Camp for Girls concept offers a concrete tool for balancing gender representation in jazz music.

Jazz Camp for Girls in Finland

In 2025, the Jazz Camp for Girls in Finland has expanded to five cities. The camps are coordinated by the Finnish Jazz Federation and implemented in collaboration with local jazz organizations and music schools.

In Helsinki, the camp is organized by Sointi Jazz Orchestra and Meri-Helsinki Music Institute; in Pori by Pori Jazz Festival and the Palmgren Conservatory; in Turku by Jazz City Turku and the Turku Conservatory; in Espoo by April Jazz Festival, the Pop/Jazz department Ebeli at Espoo Music Institute, and UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra; and in Tampere by Tampere Jazz Happening and the Pirkanmaa Music Institute.

In 2025, the Jazz Camp for Girls in Finland is supported by the Nordic Culture Fund, the Finnish Music Foundation (MES), and the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture through a special grant for innovative children’s culture projects.

Inquiries:
Maria Silvennoinen (Executive Director, Finnish Jazz Federation)
maria.silvennoinen@jazzfinland.fi, +358 50 536 7491

Interview and press photo requests:
Anu Ahola (Summit Coordinator)
anu.ahola@jazzfinland.fi, +358 50 569 0505

Photo: Fulano/JazzDanmark