A new era for Hull Jazz Festival sees Director, David Porter, stepping back after 32 years.
David Porter, of J-Night, who founded the Hull Jazz Festival in 1993, will step back as director of the Festival at the end of the year. We’d like to acknowledge David’s achievement in establishing this long running Jazz Festival. His dedication to Jazz has been of huge benefit to music in the City and established this as a prestige event for Jazz and a highlight in Hull’s musical year.
Hull Music Service will take up the baton to secure the ongoing development and future of Hull Jazz Festival. Working in partnership with Hull City Council Arts Development and J-Night, the Music Hub are taking responsibility for a transition period for the festival to ensure its continuation and legacy into 2026 and beyond under the umbrella strategy ‘Out of the Box’, revealed at the finale event of this year’s Hull Jazz Festival.
David Porter said: “It is great that the Festival is in such safe hands. In particular we are all excited that talent development and commissioning opportunities will continue for Hull artists. … Out of the Box will champion new music of all genres through its programmes and we believe that this is a unique model for a jazz festival, which will have young people at its heart, working alongside the most innovative jazz artists in the UK.”
James Dickinson, Head of Hull Music Service said: “We believe that we are the only music service in the country that delivers a music festival of this type and status. David has made an outstanding contribution to music making in Hull.”
There are plans for the project to develop an Emerging Producer role in 2026 who will develop skills to deliver the festival in future, mentored by David. Hand in hand with the festival is the continuation of support for a project around new musical collaborations which were initiated by Arts Development with the first ‘Out of the Box’ project in 2023. It’s anticipated that a new round of collaborative ‘Out of the Box’ commissions will be announced in January 2026.
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