Bray Jazz will showcase some of the brightest and best of the next generation of Irish jazz at this afternoon showcase of ensemble music by graduates of the Dublin City University (DCU) BA in Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance programme.

A triple-harpist, singer and sonic explorer whose performances feel at once ancient yet utterly contemporary, Cerys Hafana’s music honours old songs and storytelling from Wales in a remarkable way.

Tommy Halferty has been instrumental in shaping the sound of Irish jazz, a guitarist who has been at the forefront of a vibrant jazz scene on this island for over half a century.

Opening presentation in double bill with Fred Hersch Trio

Guitarist, composer and author, Mike Nielsen is a leading teacher of jazz guitar in Ireland. His unique style is influenced by jazz, classical, flamenco, Irish and world music genres.

A towering figure of contemporary jazz whose influence spans generations, Fred Hersch has shaped the language of the modern piano trio throughout a career marked by continuous reinvention.

Havana-born pianist Harold López-Nussa’s music pulses with the richness of Cuban music, with its distinct combination of classical, folk and popular music elements, as well as its embrace of jazz improvisation. 

ÓNinaÓ are a captivating six-piece who blend traditional Brazilian rhythms, including samba and bossa nova, with bluesly guitars, electronics and pyschedelic rock.

(If you’re buying tickets to main evening shows at Mermaid, Bray Town Hall or Whale Theatre in Greystones, admissions to these concerts is at a reduced price).

Alina Bzhezhinska made history when she became the first harpist to receive the Best Jazz Ensemble of the Year award when her band Hip Harp Collective took the prize at the UK’s prestigious Parliamentary Jazz Awards in 2024.

Faster Shorter Louder is a Dublin-based trio featuring Matthias Winkler (guitar), Derek Whyte (double bass) and Hugh Denman (drums). The group takes familiar songs and reshapes them through improvisation, uncovering new rhythmic and harmonic possibilities while keeping the directness of the original material intact.

Leïla Martial is amongst the most daring and imaginative vocalists in modern European jazz.

Born to a family of classical musicians, she’s the first female singer to win the 1^st soloist prize at the prestigigious Concours National de Jazz de La Défense, and over the past decade she has established herself as a fresh, boundary-breaking presence on stages across France.  

London-based alto saxophonist Sam Braysher teams up with Jazz Singer of the Year Sara Dowling to present a captivating jazz re-imagining of the work of the influential German-born American composer Kurt Weill.

Pianist and band leader Roberto Fonseca is one of the defining creative voices of the post- Buena Vista Social Club generation of Cuban jazz.

(If you’re buying tickets to main evening shows at Mermaid, Bray Town Hall or Whale Theatre, tickets for these shows are offered at a reduced price.)

London-born trumpeter Poppy Daniels has emerged as one of the most in-demand young trumpeters in a vibrant London contemporary jazz scene.