Canton of Fribourg honors Max Jendly
The 2022 Culture Prize of the State of Fribourg, endowed with CHF 15,000, goes to Max Jendly. The prize honors the musician, who has shaped the history of jazz in the canton of Fribourg, for his entire life's work
Max Jendly, born in Freiburg in 1945, studied economics and classical piano in Freiburg. He initially worked in various professions, but then dedicated himself to music for good from 1978.
As a driving force in the Fribourg cultural scene, he opened the jazz department of the Fribourg Conservatory in 1979 at the request of the State of Fribourg, the first of its kind in Switzerland. Here he taught jazz piano and arranging and led the ensemble classes and the big band of the Fribourg Conservatory.
In 2017, he founded the "Max Jendly Jazz Big Band", a permanent, professional orchestra for modern music. He will hand over its leadership to the Mexican conductor Gerry Lopez.
