DølaJazz looks forward to its 50th anniversary in 2028

13.03.2026

One of DølaJazz’s most distinctive features over the past two decades has been the festival’s strong commitment to talent development. For the anniversary celebration, the festival therefore wishes to highlight a young and up-and-coming musician with local ties and a distinct artistic voice. The commissioned work will premiere during the festival in the autumn of 2028.

Local roots and high artistic quality

The criteria for selecting the composer have been a clear connection to Innlandet as well as documented qualifications to create music at a high artistic level. After a thorough evaluation process, the choice fell on Leah Engevold from Gjøvik. She is a talented composer, arranger, bandleader, and lyricist in her mid-20s.

Engevold is known as a versatile musician on keyboard, piano, and vocals, and has distinguished herself as one of the most promising young talents in the region. She participated in Jazzincubator in 2022 with the project LEAH, and was invited back the following year to the festival’s main program in 2023, where she impressed both audience and critics with her expressive and genre-exploring musical landscape.

Premiere in October 2028

The commissioned work will be performed as a central part of the anniversary program during DølaJazz in October 2028. More information about the concert program and participating musicians will be announced later.

Quote from Leah: “Incredibly exciting to get the opportunity! Creating a commissioned work is a big dream.”