European Youth Orchestra Academy

Under the patronage of the European Parliament

Big Band Jazz

Become part of the Young European Music Festival 2026

Application for the EYOA – Big Band Jazz Ensemble 2026

Du bist zwischen 14 und 18 Jahre alt, musikalisch sehr begabt und kommst aus Europa, Großbritanien oder anderen assoziierten Staaten (vgl. Regularien)? Du bist mutig und möchtest uns mit deinem Lieblingsinstrument verzaubern? – Dann zeig uns, was du kannst!
Ab sofort kannst du dich für die Big Band Jazz bewerben und an unserer EYOA 2026 teilnehmen.
Die European Youth Orchestra Academy steht unter der Schirmherrschaft des Europäischen Parlaments.

European Youth Orchestra Academy: September 3–13 2026
Application Deadline: December 31, 2025

Before you get started ...

Please carefully read all our Rules & Guidelines and make sure you have selected the correct form for your desired ensemble. The appropriate sheet music for your instrument audition can be found under the tab Sheet Music for Your Audition.

For your application, you should have the following documents ready:
# YouTube link to your application video
# Motivation letter (text for the form)
# (if under 18) Parental consent form (informal PDF)
# signed Declaration of Consent | Media Rights

Rules & Requirements

Application Deadline

You must submit your application by December 31, 2025. Please use only our designated application form (at the bottom of this page) and make sure to select the correct form for your preferred ensemble!
If you encounter any issues with the form, please contact us in time.

Requirements

For our Big Band Jazz-Ensemble 2026, all talented applicants must be between 14 and 18 years old by the end of December 2026. You must hold the nationality of a European Union member state. In addition, you may also hold the nationality of associated countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, or Israel.
The decision of our jury regarding the selection of participants is binding and final.

Participation Fee

The participation fee is €165 and is due once the jury confirms your placement. This includes:
# Accommodation in a double room (3-star hotel)
# Meals during the entire academy as well as during additional activities.

If you need a large instrument, such as a cello or double bass, we will provide it free of charge on-site. However, you must arrange and cover your own travel to and from Mannheim.

For the final concert during the Young European Music Festival, you will receive an exclusive EYOA T-shirt. Please also bring black trousers or a skirt, and black shoes.

Excuse Letter for School

If you need an excuse for your school, we will be happy to provide an official excuse or confirmation letter upon request. Just provide us with the school’s address.

EYOA Goals | Motivation Letter

At our EYOA, it’s about more than just music: we aim to support your artistic and personal development, open new perspectives, and even enhance your career prospects. Therefore, we want to know from you: Why do you want to be part of the EYOA – and what do you hope to gain from this experience?
This – let’s call it a MOTIVATION LETTER – is an essential part of the application requirements.

Dates & Program EYOA 2026

In 2026, our European Youth Orchestra Academy will take place in Mannheim from Thursday, September 3 to Sunday, September 13, 2026.
Arrival: September 3, 2026
Departure: September 13, 2026

Academy Contents:
# Daily section and full orchestra rehearsals
# Morning sports activities
# Shared meals
# Cultural excursions
# Cultural and political lectures, e.g., on music history and Europe

Festival Programm Big Band Jazz

Program Big Band Jazz:

Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gordon Goodwin, and many more.
We will work on a colorful musical mix with fantastic brass sections, infectious rhythms, and amazing solos.
Classics of jazz literature such as Duke Ellington’s “C-Jam Blues” or the repertoire of the legendary Basie Big Band are on the program, as well as “One More Once” by the Latin legend Michel Camilo and songs by the rising Big Band star Gordon Goodwin.
A varied and emotional repertoire that brings joy.

New Composition – Suite for Symphony Orchestra and Big Band Jazz

Musical Director: Thomas Siffling

Performance Venues:
# Ballsaal der BASF – Ludwigshafen
# St. Andreas Abbey – Worms (Open Air)
# Musensaal, Rosengarten Concert Hall – Mannheim

Thomas Siffling – Musical & Artistic Director, Big Band Jazz

“Thomas Siffling is a true jazz seducer” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

Thomas Siffling is one of the most successful jazz musicians of his generation in the German-speaking world. He studied jazz trumpet in Mannheim and Stuttgart, received numerous awards—including the Jazz Prize of the State of Baden-Württemberg—and toured with support from the Goethe-Institut through India, Sri Lanka, Canada, Haiti, and Italy.

As a composer, he wrote several ballet scores for the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe and the National Theatre Mannheim. He led the SAP Big Band for 20 years and has been directing the International Rotary Big Band since 2019.

With the Ella & Louis Live Jazz Club in the Rosengarten Mannheim, Siffling has established one of Germany’s most renowned jazz clubs. Awarded the nationwide program prize “Applaus” and ranked by Downbeat Magazine among the top 100 jazz clubs worldwide, he captivates his audience here—live, passionately, and charmingly. Since 2024, a second club has also been operating in the Holzhausenschlösschen in Frankfurt.

We Need the Following Instruments*

5 × Trumpet
3 × Trombone
1 × Bass Trombone
1 × Alto Tuba
2 × Alto Saxophones
2 × Tenor Saxophones
1 × Baritone Saxophone
1 × Piano
1 × Electric Guitar
1 × Double Bass
1 × Drums

Requirements & Tips for Your Application Video

To really get to know you and your musical skills, we need an application video from you. It should show us where you currently stand musically – and who you are.
The audition video is mandatory and should provide an authentic impression of you.

You will upload the video as a YouTube link in your application form.

Here’s how to structure your video:

Introduce Yourself Briefly
Tell us in a few sentences who you are and why you want to participate in EYOA 2026.
Perform Something for Us
- In the tab Sheet Music for Your Audition, you will find an overview of 4 or 5 different pieces, all of which you should perform and interpret for us.
Recording Rules
- Please perform each piece and excerpt in a single take.
- No cuts or edits!
- If you record different sections separately, combine them into one video at the end.
Length & Format
- Duration: minimum 10 minutes, maximum 15 minutes.
- Format: YouTube link. (Important note: We only accept YouTube formats!)

The appropriate sheet music for your instrument can be found under the tab Sheet Music for Your Audition. Sheet Music for Your Audition.

Young People with Special Needs

Young musicians with disabilities who meet the usual application requirements and wish to register for the audition are welcome to join us.

Travel to Mannheim

Arrival by Plane / Train:
Please book your flight ticket including your train ride to Mannheim. We recommend Frankfurt International Airport. From there, you can reach the center of Mannheim (Main Station) directly and conveniently by train.

Arrival by Bus:
If you wish to arrive by bus, select Mannheim Bus Station (directly at the Main Station) as your destination.

We will pick you up after your arrival at Mannheim Main Station. Meeting point: Mannheim Main Station – Station Hall – Ticket Counter

For the sake of the environment, we recommend traveling by train or bus!

Travel Permission & Insurance

Please remember: You must insure your instrument yourself, cover all additional costs, and have international health insurance. Before your trip begins, please show us that your insurance is valid.

Photo & Media Rights

In addition to the application form, we also need your consent for photos, videos, or television recordings to be made during the academy.
By giving your consent, you grant us the right to publish the media as part of our project.
Your consent is a mandatory part of the application.

Participants Under 16 Years

Participants under 16 years old also need a parental consent form.

Contact for Local Rotary Club

Invited participants are asked to introduce themselves to the local Rotary Club in their home country. All contact information will be provided personally with your invitation letter to the academy in early 2026.

Contact for Questions

If you have any further questions or if anything is unclear, please contact:

Michel Maugé, EYOA
E: mauge@eyoa.de
T:: +49 (0)151 189 09 288

Thomas Siffling – Musical Director

“Thomas Siffling is a true jazz seducer” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

"He is one of Germany’s most successful and popular jazz musicians."

"Thomas Siffling is an entertainer who captivates the audience with his music and engages with listeners between pieces with playful banter."

If you have any further questions or if anything is unclear, please contact:

Michel Maugé, EYOA
E: mauge@eyoa.de
T:: +49 (0)151 189 09 288

Sheet Music for Your Saxophone Audition

For your audition video, first select your preferred instrument and then choose the corresponding sheet music for each piece.

Titel: In a mellow tone
Sequence: bar 40- till end

Titel: C- Jam Blues
Sequence: Letter G – till end

Titel: St. Louis Blues
Sequence: Top- bar 74

Titel: Count Bubba
Sequence: bar 33- bar 77

For Soloists:
A jazz standard of your choice. Play 1–2 choruses solo, for example with piano/guitar accompaniment or using iReal Pro…

Tenor Saxophone I

Tenor Saxophone II

Alto Saxophone I

Alto Saxophone II

Baritone Saxophone

Sheet Music for your Trumpet Audition

For your audition video, first select your preferred instrument and then choose the corresponding sheet music for each piece.

Titel: In a mellow tone
Sequence: bar 1- bar 8 & bar 89 – till end

Titel: C- Jam Blues
Sequence: Letter G – till end

Titel: St. Louis Blues
Sequence: bar 1- bar 40

Titel: Count Bubba
Sequence: bar 16- bar 33 & bar 93- bar 127

For Soloists:
Any jazz standard you want. Played 1-2 choruses Solo
with for example piano/guitar accompaniment or I Real pro….

Trumpet II

Trumpet III & Soloists

Trumpet IV

Sheet Music for your Trombone Audition

Choose the appropriate sheet music for your instrument for your application video!

Titel: In a mellow tone
Sequence: bar 1- bar 8 & bar 89 – till end

Titel: C- Jam Blues
Sequence: Letter G – till end

Titel: St. Louis Blues
Sequence: bar 1- bar 76

Titel: Count Bubba
Sequence: bar 1- bar 17 & bar 77- bar 127

For Soloists:
Any jazz standard you want. Played 1-2 choruses Solo
with for example piano/guitar accompaniment or I Real pro

Trombone I

Trombone II

Trombone III

Trombone IV

Sheet Music for Your Audition – Piano, Guitar & Co.

Choose the appropriate sheet music for your instrument for your application video!

Titel: In a mellow tone
Sequence: bar 89- end
Walking bass, Guitar/Piano Chord accompaniment, drums Swing

Titel: C- Jam Blues
Sequence: Letter C Open. 2-3 choruses Solo accompaniment
Walking bass, Guitar/Piano Chord accompaniment, drums Swing

Titel: St. Louis Blues – only for piano and drums
Sequence: piano & drums complete

Titel: Spain
Sequence: from bar 52 Solo Section in first ending OPEN
Latin Solo accompaniment 2-3 choruses

For Soloists:
Any jazz standard you want. Played 1-2 choruses Solo
with for example I Real pro or Solo or with band.

Guitar

Bass

Piano

Drums