Donny McCaslin, known as the saxophonist on David Bowies "Blackstar," has had a diverse career with dozens of albums. He started playing the saxophone at the age of 12 and performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival during his youth. After receiving a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, he became a sought-after musician in NYC. Bowie saw McCaslin in the Maria Schneider Orchestra, incorporated his jazz quartet into "Blackstar," and McCaslin later merged alternative rock and jazz on his album "BLOW." A new album is set to be released in 2023 on Edition Records.

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.