Lennart Allkemper

With a network of Artist Centres and Ateliers around the world, Yamaha works with leading players to support their performances and develop instrument designs and new ideas for the benefit of all musicians. Yamaha Artists share with us a passion for inspiring the next generation of players, and a belief that everybody should be encouraged to nurture their talent, connect with others and tell their stories through music.

Cologne-based saxophonist and composer Lennart Allkemper (*1992) discovered his passion for music at an early age. At the age of just 12, he won 1st prize in the soloist category of the NRW state competition Jugend Jazzt on the alto saxophone, which was followed by two more 1st prizes when he switched to the tenor saxophone. As a result, he became a permanent member of the Jugendjazzorchester NRW at the age of 15, with which he won the WDR Jazz Prize in 2013. At the same time, he began studying at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, where he studied for six semesters with Prof. Matthias Nadolny and Prof. Ansgar Striepens. After graduating from high school, Lennart studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne with Prof. Wolfgang Engstfeld and Claudius Valk (graduating in 2017 with top marks) and in the meantime spent a semester at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam as part of the European ERASMUS program.

He has participated in numerous workshops and masterclasses throughout Europe, including a full scholarship to the Generations Workshop of the JazzfestivalFrauenfeld (CH) and also on full scholarship at the Keep an Eye Summer JazzWorkshop in Amsterdam (NL). In addition to his studies, he was a permanent member of the BuJazzO, the official youth jazz orchestra of the Federal Republic of Germany, with which he won the 2012 won the Echo Jazz. In 2016 he became the youngest cultural award winner of his hometown Bottrop.

He is not only at home in jazz, but has also become a fixture in pop music. In 2022, he toured the stadiums of Germany, Austria and Switzerland with the Fantastischen Vier on the occasion of their 30th anniversary, played with newcomer Nina Chuba at the 1Live Krone Verleihung and regularly makes guest appearances on TV productions such as TV Total, the ZDF Magazin Royal or was a permanent part of the house band of the show "Täglich Frisch Geröstet" with Jens "Knossi" Knosalla on TV. Tours abroad have taken Lennart Allkemper to China, West Africa, Guinea Bissau, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Finland, Estonia, Croatia, Canada, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, among other places.

He has played at the North Sea Jazz Festival (NL), Gent Jazz Festival (BE), Moers Jazz Festival, Jazzfest Bonn, Jazzfest Groznjan (HRV), Saint Louis Jazz (SEN), Baltic Jazz (FIN) and Imatra Bigband Festival (FIN) among others. Lennart has been regularly filling in for the two tenor saxophonists of the WDR Bigband for over 10 years and for the last 5 years for both tenor saxophonists of the HR Bigband. In addition to the tenor saxophone, Lennart is also proficient on a number of other instruments such as the soprano, alto and baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute and EWI.

In his young musical career, he has already come together with a number of renowned artists such as Ron Carter, Vince Mendoza, Peter Erskine, Kurt Elling, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Joshua Redman, Bob Malach, Giant Rooks, Fred Hersch, Dick Oatts, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Richie Beirach, Adam Nussbaum, Lizz Wright, Branford Marsalis, Seamus Blake, Jay Anderson, John Riley, Wolfgang Haffner, Joel Frahm, Till Brönner, Stefan Raab, Fanta 4, Nina Chuba, Clueso, Sasha, Peter Herbolzheimer, Don Friedman, Marius Neset, Melissa Aldana John Ruocco, Jiggs Whigham, Ack van Rooyen, Peter Weniger, Silvia Droste, Ralf Hesse, Luciano Biondini, Bruno Castelucci, Uli Beckerhoff, Jasper Blom, Florian Ross, Mike Herting, Marcio Doctor, Greetje Kauffeld, Ansgar Striepens, Matthias Nadolny, Fay Claassen, Glenn Miller Big Band, HR Big Band, WDR Big Band, and many more musicians of the national and international jazz scene.

Lennart implements his distinctive style not only on the tenor saxophone, but also as a composer in his current project, the "Lennart Allkemper Quartett". In 2019 he started his own jazz series "BTTRP JZZ - the unpronounceable jazz series" at the Kulturkirche Bottrop, which was temporarily interrupted by Corona, but will be continued soon. He currently teaches saxophone, flute and clarinet in Cologne, Jüchen and Grevenbroich.