Just Graduated: Nadine Serhalawan and Anton Jämtander

Before the intermission: Nadine Serhalawan Quartet
Nadine Serhalawan is a Dutch-Indonesian saxophonist who graduated from the Royal Conservatory in 2024. Drawing on her background and personal connection to Indonesia, she developed a project that began as a suite of compositions inspired by traditional dances and music from Java and Bali. In her music, the band seeks a natural intersection between jazz and Indonesian sounds, allowing room for both tradition and personal interpretation. With a unique instrumentation of piano, vibraphone, and two saxophones, the ensemble works with various timbres and harmonies, and how these can come together within a jazz context.

After the intermission: Anton Jämtander Quartet
Anton, born in Sweden, draws his inspiration from across the entire jazz spectrum and strives to create music that feels both urgent and relevant. Hopeful melodies act as beacons of light, guiding listeners through valleys of introspective, often somber harmonies. With one foot in tradition and the other in the ECM world, Anton strives to touch listeners on an emotional level – by sharing the joy, spontaneity, and honesty of improvised music. After moving to the Netherlands to pursue a bachelor's degree at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, he had the privilege of being taught by Martijn van Iterson, Wim Bronnenberg, and Wolfert Brederode.