Based in Amsterdam, South Korean pianist Chaerin Im is no newcomer to Germany and Cologne: she has performed locally in recent years as a featured artist in the concert series ‘Pablo Held meets’ and as a member of the Sun-Mi Hong Quintet. As part of NICA exchange x CJW, Chaerin Im will now perform her own music in the town for the first time.
Born in Seoul in 1999, Chaerin Im draws inspiration from Korean indie, film music and electronic ambient soundscapes, among other things. In her trio with bassist Paddy Fitzgerald and drummer Ludvig Søndergaard, she explores the possibilities of dynamic interplay, combining acoustic instruments with experimental electronic elements to create almost visual soundscapes. The trio’s first album will be released in autumn 2025 on the Dutch label Dox Records – this concert offers the ideal opportunity to get to know Chaerin Im’s intimate and intense music.
“NICA exchange x CJW.” NICA exchange enables up-and-coming national and international musicians, especially those from the fields of jazz and improvised music, to perform on stages at the Cologne festival. The main focus of the concert series is to create spaces for exchange for a young, experimental generation of musicians, to encourage sustainable networking and creative exchange, and, in the context of the festival, to initiate contact with an audience eager to discover new things.
The selection of musicians and bands for “NICA exchange” is made in collaboration with NICA partner organizations. In the past, collaborations have included BIMHUIS Amsterdam, RAUW Festival Rotterdam, Jazzfestival Saalfelden, INTL JazzplatformPolen, Jazzwerkstatt Bern, and We Jazz from Helsinki.
Chaerin Im – p
Paddy Fitzgerald – b
Ludvig Søndergaard – dr”