Clarence Jazz Festival 2027 Performer EOI

Applications close at 5pm on Monday 7th of September 2026.

Our panel will assess all applications and aim to notify applicants about the outcome by Friday September 18th.  

Successful applicants will be contacted by phone. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email and are welcome to request feedback on their application.

This year, we have five application streams for you to choose from. You can apply for more than one stream: 

This year, we have five application streams for you to choose from. You can apply for more than one stream: 

General Program

This stream forms the heart of the festival and includes everything from traditional and contemporary jazz through to soul, funk, blues, improvised music and genre-crossing projects.

Emerging Program

We are passionate about supporting the next generation of artists!

Apply for this stream if you are in the early stages (first three years) of your professional career or have not previously performed at Clarence Jazz Festival.

Jazz Hothouse General Stream

Jazz Hothouse supports artists to develop ambitious new work, test fresh ideas and build creative collaborations.

Successful projects receive up to $2,000 in seed funding, in-kind support and a performance opportunity at the festival.

Successful Hothouse project will meet one (or several) of the following criteria:

• Bring together new collaborators,
• Connect jazz and improvised music with other artforms or genres,
• Amplify new/ under-represented/ diverse voices, stories and perspectives,
• Present original work or new approaches to existing material,
• Support the artistic and professional development of it’s participants.

Jazz Hothouse (UTAS)

In a new partnership with the Hedberg School of Music, we are pleased to offer seed funding of $2,000 towards a new project developed by music students (of any age/ level) currently enrolled in the Hedberg School of Music at the University of Tasmania.

Find out more about our Hothouse funding below.

School group/ community band

School bands, youth ensembles and community music groups play an important role in keeping jazz and improvised music thriving.

We welcome applications from groups of all ages and experience levels who would like to be part of the festival.

Each year we are pleased to provide a number of $2,000 Hothouse Commissions (paid in addition to Performance Fees) to help foster the development and presentation of new work and collaborations at the Clarence Jazz Festival.

Successful Hothouse projects must fit one (or more) of the following criteria:

• The project fosters new creative collaborations: between musicians that haven’t played together before (from different cultural backgrounds, ages, abilities, sexualities, genders) or between different artforms (dance/ movement, visual art, spoken word etc)
• The project features new fusions between jazz/ improvised music and other musical genres
• The project features new/ under-represented stories, voices or perspectives
• The project features new and original music/ new approaches to existing work
• The project advances the careers of it’s creators

Funding can be used for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to:

• Travel and accommodation expenses for inter/ intra state artists
• Rehearsal/ creative development/ composition
• Hire/ purchase of new equipment to realize a creative vision
• Advisors/ educators/ project development

Previous Hothouse commissions:

• Mazzika (2020): Collaboration between Egyptian born singer Mira Rezk and arranger/composer Stevie McEntee, celebrating classic Lebanese and Egyptian film music from the 1940s and 50s featuring a string quartet and a jazz rhythm section.
• McEntee Ottaway Big Band (2019): New all-star big band featuring original compositions from Lutruwita (Tasmania)
• Love Asunder (2024): Collaboration between Elly Hoyt and Louise Denson telling the stories of convict lovers reunited in early Colonial Lutruwita (Tasmania)
• Mulaka Milaythina (The Hunting Grounds) (2022): Collaboration between Pakana artist Nunami Sculthorpe-Green and Louise Denson and band, examining the true history of colonisation and the Black Wars at Piyura Kitina and along Timtumili Manya (River Derwent).
• Supreme Love (2025): New work from Spike Mason and band responding to themes of John Coltrane’s seminal album ‘Love Supreme’.
• Music That Moves You (2023): New dance and vocal interpretations of a wide variety of music from Nicole Simms-Farrow and Analise Haigh.

UTAS Hothouse Commission:

In a new partnership with the Hedberg School of Music, we are pleased to offer seed funding of $2,000 towards a new project developed and led by music students (of any age/ level) currently enrolled in the Hedberg School of Music at the University of Tasmania.

Students may form a group with other UTAS students in any discipline, or can collaborate with artists outside of the University.

If successful in this stream you will be required to provide a short report about the outcomes of your activity, along with any feedback you may wish to share with us.

Applications are reviewed by the festival programming team, which includes experienced musicians, presenters, producers, and festival directors, alongside a Palawa cultural advisor.

When reviewing applications, we consider:

• Artistic quality and strength of the proposal
• Suitability within the broader festival program
• Audience engagement and appeal
• Contribution to a diverse and inclusive festival program
• Whether the work presents new ideas, material or collaborations

We aim to present new acts or existing ensembles presenting new projects or material. We cannot guarantee consecutive annual appearances for the same bands presenting similar material to previous years. 

Please note: Clarence Jazz Festival is committed to building a diverse, welcoming and representative festival program.

We particularly encourage applications from First Nations artists, culturally and linguistically diverse artists, artists living with disability, women and gender-diverse artists, LGBTQIA+ artists, older musicians, emerging musicians and artists living and working in regional and remote communities.

Absolutely!

We welcome applications from interstate and international artists and are committed to fostering collaboration, connection and exchange across Australia and beyond.

Travel support is available, however our travel budget is limited. If you’re planning to include Clarence Jazz Festival as part of a broader tour, or are able to contribute towards your travel costs, please let us know in your application.

We’re also happy to connect artists with presenters and venues across Lutruwita/Tasmania to help make a visit to the island more viable. To support the festival and our audiences, we ask that artists do not perform in the Greater Hobart regiontoo close either side of the festival. Please contact us to discuss this.

If you’re interested in presenting a workshop, masterclass, artist talk or other learning opportunity during your visit, we’d love to hear about it. Please include details in your application.

We believe artists should be paid fairly for their work.

As a minimum, Clarence Jazz Festival pays artist fees in line with Musician’s Union recommendations, currently $250 per musician per 50-minute performance.

If your project requires a higher fee, please outline this in your application.

In addition to artist fees, superannuation is paid in accordance with current legislation. Successful applicants will be provided with further information about invoicing, payment processes and required documentation.

Artists also receive festival passes and other great networking opportunities.

Support material helps us get a sense of your music, artistic practice and the project you’re proposing.

Don’t worry if your recordings or videos aren’t professionally produced — phone recordings, rehearsal footage and live performance videos are perfectly acceptable. The most important thing is that the material accurately represents your work.

Please provide links to any relevant recordings, videos, websites or social media profiles, along with examples of the project, ensemble or music you’re applying with.

You can upload files directly through this form or include links to external platforms including social media/ website (although we recognise that not all acts will interact with these platforms) along with direct links to videos/recordings of your act.

You can provide links or upload files using the form below.