Prof. Sebastian Sternal
Artistic Director Jazz Campus Mainz
Sebastian Sternal, professor for jazz piano and jazz ensemble at the Mainz School of Music, studied in Cologne and Paris and has worked with jazz greats like Dee Dee Bridgewater, David Binney and John Riley. His concert tours took him all over the world. He won numerous prizes, such as the WDR Jazzpreis 2007, the Concours piano jazz Martial Solal 2010, Neuer Deutscher Jazzpreis 2014, Annual Award of the German Schallplattenkritik 2015, and the ECHO Jazz in 2013, 2016, and 2018. His project Sternal Symphonic Society combines young musicians from jazz and classical music. In 2017, his trio album "Home" with Larry Grenadier and Jonas Burgwinkel was released and celebrated by the audience and professionals alike.
As part of his GRC fellowship, Sternal plans the development of the Jazz Campus Mainz, which will include the implementation of a first-rate European ensemble as well as the establishment of a Jazz Summer School and a university big band.
Andreas Dittinger
Artistic Advisor, Manager Gutenberg Jazz Collective and excellence programs
Andreas Dittinger studied jazz piano at the music academies in Mainz and Mannheim and also holds two degrees in international management from the ESB Business School in Reutlingen and the Northeastern University in Boston. In addition to his own projects such as the Andreas Dittinger Trio and various activities as a sideman, he acts as producer and musical director of the Loft Arts Music Show, in which he brings rap and R’n’B greats to the stage with a large live band. During his studies, Andreas received a teaching position at the University of Music in Würzburg and works as a lecturer at various other educational institutions. He is managing director of the Gutenberg Jazz Collective for the Jazz Campus Mainz and advises the artistic direction.
Mirko Meurer
Artistic Advisor, Manager Summer School and music educational programs
Mirko Meurer has studied music education, musicology and has certifications in Music Business Management and Vocal Education for Popular Singing. He has been working for many years in youth and adult educational professions and programs for jazz and pop (instrumental and singing lessons, big band leading for amateur and semi-professional big bands, coachings for small jazz ensembles, seminars for jazz theory, musical study advice, etc.). In addition, he is active as a jazz singer in the swing genre, as administrator of the Jazz Landesverband "JAZZ RLP", as networker for jazz, jazz education and vocal pedagogy at the state and federal level and cooperates closely with the Landesmusikakademie RLP, Jugend jazzt, the Musikgymnasium RLP, Deutsche Jazz Union and vocal educational networks. He is also a member of the commission for the recasting of the curriculum for popular singing at public music schools in Germany and from the summer semester 2021 lecturer in jazz and popular singing at the university of Koblenz.
Petra Hertel
Assistant to the project management
Since 2013, as an administrative assistant at the University of Music, she supervises the study programs Jazz and Popular Music, elementary music education and guitar (M.A.).
She is a collaborator in the organization and application of the Jazz Campus Mainz program.
Sofia Will
Assistant to the management
Sofia Will is a creating part of the Mainz jazz scene and part of many projects either as leader or sidewoman. She is currently studying jazz saxophone at the HfM Mainz with Claudius Valk and Theresia Philipp.
After her many years of big band experience, that has already led her to playing concerts all over Europe, she now presents her own musical sound and compositions with her quintet „WILLKÜR“.
In her still young musical career she already had the opportunity to play with great musicians such as Pablo Held, Sebastian Gramss, Paul Heller, Frank Sackenheim,
and Shelly Phillips. With „WILLKÜR“ she is also a recipient of the ZIRP scholarship in 2022.
Besides her music and her great cultural commitment
she is actively shaping the scene with her political and educational engagement.
For the Jazz Campus Mainz she is the assistant to the management and is primarily responsible for all matters concerning the Gutenberg Jazz Collective.
Ole Schwarz
Social Media
Ole Schwarz is a pianist, keyboarder and singer based in Mainz. He is an active participant of several bands and projects, in and out of Mainz. In 2019, he began studying jazz piano at the HfM Mainz and since then studies with Sebastian Sternal, Pablo Held and Ulf Kleiner.
Besides playing as a sideman in groups like „Meloi“ (AOR style music), „Perle“ (german synth-pop) and „Undercurrents“ (progressive-jazz), he also leads his own band „Rain Dance“ (indie-jazz-rock) for wich he composes, arranges and plays live and in the studio as a singer and keyboarder. Because of his excitement for Brazilian music, he started the band „Banda Nova“ in 2021, in wich they play his transcribed arrangements of tunes by Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento etc.
Together with Patrick Hänsler and Paul Walke, he is responsible for the content and administrative support of the social media channels and the website, as well as advice and support in the web presence for the Jazz Campus Mainz.
Paul Walke
Social Media
Paul Walke, guitarist, studies at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz with Norbert Scholly and Jean-Yves Jung.
Aside from longtime big band playing experience and collaborations as a sideman in several ensembles inside and beyond the borders of Mainz, he leads his own trio, in which he realizes his own musical visions.
With the same band he already toured extensively, played at the SWR Jazzcollege and is receiving a scholarship from Live Music Now Frankfurt e.V..
Through various projects he had the chance to work with artists like Max Mutzke, Humphrey Campbell, the New York Voices or Nils Landgren early on in his young musical career.
For Jazz Campus Mainz he is responsible for social media presence, especially concerning the Gutenberg Jazz Collective.