SWISS HYPERTEXT
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PROJECTS
JazzAscona
Founded in 1975 as the «Festa New Orleans», JazzAscona is now one of Switzerland’s leading jazz festivals. Its international reach, deep connection to the culture of New Orleans and multilingual audience have shaped a distinctive identity in which language plays an important part in how the festival presents itself to the world.
WHERE ARTISTS FIND THEIR VOICE AND THE FESTIVAL SHAPES ITS OWN STORY.
Good communication and the right setting create experiences that draw audiences into the world of jazz — a world of improvisation, connection and constant reinvention.
Telling jazz stories — on and off stage
For two editions, I worked in the JazzAscona press office, combining editorial work, cultural journalism and multilingual communication. I interviewed international artists in Italian, English and Swiss German, developing these conversations into articles and audiovisual pieces, some produced in collaboration with CISA Locarno. I also wrote press releases and editorial features for local and national media, adapting each piece to its language, readership and context.
Translation was as much about voice, tone and context as it was about language. JazzAscona draws on three distinct worlds: the international jazz scene, its strong local roots and its longstanding relationship with the culture of New Orleans. Bringing them together without smoothing away their differences requires editorial precision and a close understanding of their cultural references.
Multilingualism was therefore part of the editorial thinking from the outset. Each text needed to sound entirely at home in its own language and medium while still belonging unmistakably to JazzAscona. In this sense, editorial work becomes a form of cultural mediation: bringing different voices, contexts and audiences into conversation, while helping the festival tell its own story.
Client: JazzAscona
Period: 2022–2023
Areas: interviews · cultural journalism · editorial work · translation · subtitling
Languages: English · Italian · German · Swiss German
The conversation continues
An interview can carry an encounter far beyond the festival itself, giving the artist’s voice room to unfold. The Journal brings together some of these conversations, alongside other encounters that grew out of my journalistic work.
→ Read my interview with Dee Dee Bridgewater in the Journal
JazzAscona also became the starting point for other projects. Together with José Pino, I created La casa de nadie Portrait, a series of short films featuring artists from the festival.
→ Watch La casa de nadie Portrait
The television interviews I made for JazzAscona in collaboration with CISA Locarno are also part of the La casa de nadie Guest Book, which brings together these and many other encounters with artists from different countries and disciplines.