The intergenre and international jazz section of the SAXGO festival brings the best and most creative saxophonists from the world, European and Slovenian stages to Nova Gorica.

This year’s jazz section is divided into two evenings: on Monday, August 24, 2026, we will listen to the French virtuoso of jazz saxophone and improvisation Baptiste Herbin, who will also lead a jazz saxophone and improvisation workshop as part of the Saxophone Summer School this year. His extreme dedication to the alto saxophone is heard and echoed on world stages, as he is technically and musically one of the most advanced European saxophonists. At the SAXGO festival, he will present himself in the trio formation Django, which also includes double bassist Sylvain Romano and drummer Matthieu Chazarenc, dedicated to Django Reinhardt.

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the spotlight will focus on… TBA.

The festival will conclude on Friday, August 28, 2026, with the closing concert of the Summer Saxophone School named ALL TOGETHER NOW, where participants of the jazz and classical saxophone workshops will present themselves, accompanied by their mentors/teachers. For many participants, this is also their first experience of performing at a festival venue, which is of extraordinary importance and invaluable value in today’s times.

After completing his studies at the Conservatory in Amsterdam, Boštjan Simon returned to Slovenia and co-created numerous bands with international reach. With the bands Trus!, Velkro and Litošt, he presented the language of improvisation on stages that were not used to it. He currently leads the group There Be Monsters, with which he performs in Slovenia and the surrounding area, and is also occasionally active in the following bands: TEJO – Trieste Early Jazz Orchestra, Big band RTV Slovenija, Milan Stanisavlević quintet, Robert Jukič quartet, Boštjan Simon Quintet, Quartzite Quartet and Big band Nova. He focuses on saxophone improvisation in conjunction with live electronics and on polyrhythmic approaches to composition, which can be seen in Boštjan’s latest audio-visual project Etceteral with Marek Fakuč and Lina Rica.