Lee Ritenour
Lee Ritenour, born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, has had an impressive career as a guitarist. Known as "Captain Fingers," he started his session work in the 60s and became a member of Fourplay. With over 40 albums, a GRAMMY, and numerous awards, he celebrated his 50th anniversary in 2010. Ritenour initiated the "6 String Theory" competition, gaining worldwide recognition. In 2016, Concord Records released "The Vinyl LP Collection," a box set featuring five classic albums.

Dave Grusin
Dave Grusin, active in music since the late 50s, is known as an arranger, pianist, composer, and producer. As a co-founder of GRP Records, he has won ten Grammys. Grusin has composed over 60 film scores, including "The Graduate" and "Tootsie." The documentary "Dave Grusin, Not Enough Time" portrays his impressive life. In addition to his music career, he is an environmental activist and co-founder of the National Foundation for Jazz Education.

The SpardaWelt Eventcenter is the venue for the presentation of the German Jazz Trophy by the Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg Foundation for Art and Culture. The award ceremony marks the start of the festival, after which the respective prizewinners play the opening concert and other selected international musicians take to the SpardaWelt stage in the following days. The free "Jazz for Kids" event for young jazz fans will also take place here.