NDR Bigband Begins 2025–’26 Season with Nikki Iles as Principal Conductor

By DownBeat I Apr. 8, 2025

“The NDR Bigband is truly an ensemble for our times,” said Nikki Iles, principal conductor for the 2025–’26 season.
(Photo: Andy Spyra)

British bandleader, pianist and composer Nikki Iles will be the new principal conductor of the Hamburg, Germany-based NDR Bigband for its 2025–’26 season. She succeeds Geir Lysne and will lead the ensemble for an initial period of two years.

“I am absolutely thrilled and humbled to have a chance to deepen my relationship with the wonderful NDR Bigband as their new chief conductor,” Iles said. “The NDR Bigband is truly an ensemble for our times and they embrace this role with such passion, innovation and a wealth of experience.”

Iles, who attracted attention in 2020 as a participant in the NDR Bigband’s podium for composers and arrangers, had been appointed composer-in-residence of the ensemble in 2023. The joint album Face To Face, which resulted from this collaboration, was nominated for the German Jazz Award in 2024.

“Nikki Iles marks the beginning of a new era in the history of our internationally acclaimed NDR Bigband,” said NDR program director Ilka Steinhausen. “We are hoping for many new, inspiring impulses, because she brings a fantastic network with her.”

Together with the NDR Bigband, the new chief conductor will present a high-caliber subscription program in Hamburg and Hanover. Iles has curated three programs that will included invited guest soloists.

For her debuts on Sept. 27 in Hannover (NDR Konzerthaus) and on Sept. 28 in Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), Iles will bring a new work, “The Shadow Of A Dream–Journeys Through A Strange World,” which was composed specially for the NDR Bigband. “In this program I have focused on themes of unity — how important it is to find empathy and common ground despite the challenges we face,” Iles said.

Together with trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Christine Jensen and pianist Kris Davis, Iles and the NDR Bigband will bring Canadian soundscapes to life in a collaboration titled “Luminescent Landscapes,” which will be performed Feb. 14–15, 2026.

“Spinning the Wheeler” could be the title of the third program curated by Iles, where participants will share their experiences with Canadian trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler (1930–2014). Iles has recruited singer Norma Winstone and bassist Dave Holland for the program, which will be performed June 20–21, 2026.

“Nikki Iles is an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of jazz,” said Michael Dreyer, NDR Bigband manager. “The NDR Bigband has really fallen in love with her. We look forward to our future together.”

In the 2025–’26 concert season, the NDR Bigband will be working with pianist Danilo Pérez, the Hamburg band TOYTOY and the Cologne-based jazz trumpeter Frederik Köster. The ensemble will also be celebrating the 100th birthday of Miles Davis.

In the broadcasting area, the NDR Big Band will take its productions to hidden corners and perform at important festivals such as the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Travejazz in Lübeck, Jazzfest Delmenhorst and JazzBaltica. The ensemble is touring three schools in the broadcasting area and is now working with the Royal Academy of Music in London.

For more information and ticket sales, visit ndr.de/bigband. DB