About Us
 
Mission Statement: To bring quality jazz to Nepal, transcend cultural boundaries, and spread the message of peace and compassion through music.   The Kathmandu Jazz Festival, or popularly known as “Jazzmandu,” which began in 2002 is an annual event organized by Upstairs Ideas Pvt. Ltd. The festival was founded by Chhedup Bomzan of The Jazz Upstairs Bar, and Navin Chettri, drummer and vocalist of Cadenza. Over the years, the Kathmandu Jazz Festival has successfully promoted jazz in Nepal and brought world-class musicians to audiences in Kathmandu. It enriches lives, promotes creativity, encourages the sharing of international sounds and ideas, pushes the limits and boundaries of musical expectations and nurtures the talents of Nepali musicians. Jazzmandu strives to make the music accessible to as many people as possible by actively including free shows, educational school programs and workshops.

  JAZZMANDU FOR CULTURAL INTERACTION   Jazzmandu creates a platform for musicians from around the world with diverse cultural backgrounds to interact through music which transcends all cultural and social barriers. Besides jazz music, the festival also promotes the unique and diverse traditional music of Nepal, where top Nepali traditional musicians share the sounds of Nepal, not only with an international audience but the visiting artists as well. Jazz at Patan is a unique event that focuses on blending sounds created by visiting international musicians with local Nepalese traditional musicians. The outcome of this fusion is extraordinary and one of the favorite shows at the Kathmandu jazz festival.  The cultural interaction has a boundless impact and influence on everyone involved: musicians, volunteers, fans, students, audiences, and the country as a whole.

  JAZZMANDU FOR PROMOTING TOURISM IN NEPAL   The Kathmandu Jazz Festival is becoming an annual attraction for tourists who would like to include an international music festival as a part of their experience in the Himalayas. The festival exposes people to the warmth and hospitality of the Nepali people, the cultural and religious treasures, and the awe-inspiring natural beauty. All this combined with a world class music festival that promotes not only the country’s traditional music, but sounds from around the world performed at some of the most fascinating locations around Kathmandu, including some exotic world heritage sites. These performances help bring Nepal to the attention of communities that might not otherwise be aware of all that Nepal has to offer.

  JAZZMANDU FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
The festival has organized free educational music programs, workshops and clinics for school students around Kathmandu every year. We invite students from different schools to experience live and interactive performances of jazz performed by some of the world’s top musicians. This is a great opportunity for Nepali students to see artists from different parts of the world---an opportunity most of them would otherwise never experience. With the aim of giving a platform for up and coming musicians, we organize a music competition known as “Jazz for the Next Generation”. The music competition encourages and acknowledges the efforts and skills of budding Nepali musicians. The contest provides them a much needed opportunity to showcase their musical talents and prove the fact that Nepal has never been short of talent. We are proud of these efforts as we are confident that the education of the youth will have a positive, strong and lasting impact on the people of Nepal.

JAZZMANDU MUSIC FOR PEACE
Peace- our most important goal, it is the need of the hour not only in Nepal, but all over the world. The message of peace transcends boundaries and culminates on one stage as musicians from all cultures and backgrounds come together in the Himalayas. And like magic the audience is captivated in a flurry of music thus celebrating our differences and acknowledging our similarities. We believe in stressing on the similarities between humans regardless of their, caste, creed, or color.