Opening and closing ceremonies, plus farewell party of EGOI 2025 will feature musical artists. They were carefully selected to be somewhat similar to EGOI contestants: female and successful in competitions or other processes of talent selection.
Opening Ceremony: Clara Wedel
Clara Wedel is a violinist and trombonist who plays both classical music and Jazz. Currently, she is studying classical violin and Jazz trombone in Cologne. She won several first prizes in the most important national youth competitions for classical and Jazz music: „Jugend musiziert“ (2021: solo trombone, duo violin and piano; 2022: solo violin), and „Jugend jazzt“ (2022: solo trombone; 2024: solo violin). As a violinist, she has had both solo performances with classical orchestras and band gigs with renowned Jazz musicians. As a trombonist, she is currently part of Bundesjazzorchester (BuJazzO), Germany’s national student big band.
Closing Ceremony: Sofia Will
Sofia Will is a saxophonist and composer of the German jazz scene. She is currently studying composition and performance with Guillermo Klein and Tineke Postma in Basel, Switzerland after finishing her bachelor in Mainz. She was part of Bundesjazzorchester (BuJazzO) 2023/2024. She has released two albums, her quintet album „Springflut“, which was funded by the Zukunftsinitiative Rheinland-Pfalz scholarship program, and her tentet album „Moguntia“, released under the renowned Swiss label Unit Records. With her tentet VOLO, she won the LOFT Recording Project Prize and the Jazzfest Bonn scholarship.
Farewell Party: Stina Holmquist
Stina Holmquist develops timeless indie pop music that creates its unique sound: warm, atmospheric, yet full of surprising energetic moments. In addition to her own concerts throughout Germany and neighbouring countries, she’s supported Giant Rooks and Leoniden, played renowned festivals, such as Traumzeit, Reeperbahn, Orange Blossom and Juicy Beats, and was nominated for the popNRW ‘Best Newcomer’ award. In 2024, she joined PopCamp, the national funding program. In October 2025, WDR Rockpalast will feature her live with Cari Cari.