SELECTED PROJECTS
ART & MUSIC
2023 – present
SEE ART. HEAR MUSIC. EXPERIENCE ATMOSPHERE.
Since 2023 Katarina Ehmki has been combining painting and live music in her own exhibitions. She creates the art and develops the exhibition concept and the musical accompaniment.
What this means for you:
Exhibition openings and art exhibitions featuring live music. Concept development, art and music – all from a single source.
MUSIC ACROSS THE HOUSE
FILLING AN ENTIRE HOTEL WITH MUSIC.
From 1998 to 2023, Katarina Ehmki was responsible for the concept, programming, booking and production of 300 to 450 events annually at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. These included jazz concerts and festivals, DJs and party bands spanning soul, funk, R&B and disco, as well as award ceremonies and special events.
NEW YORK IM BAYERISCHEN HOF &
JAZZIN’ THE NIGHT CLUB
Two distinct musical focuses until 2023:
“New York im Bayerischen Hof” featured internationally renowned jazz, blues and fusion artists from the USA.
Conceived as a deliberate counterpart, “Jazzin’ The Night Club” provided a stage for musicians from across Europe.
LATINA FIESTA · BALLROOM
2014 – 2020
Annually on Carnival Sunday. Concerts with international stars of the Latin American music scene.
SMALL CONCERT SERIE IN THE PIANO BAR
1998 – 2020
Jazz & Pop with renowned Munich musicians and
approximately 40 events per year.
AWARDS & SERIES
Kurt Maas Jazz Award · BMW Welt Jazz Award · HVB-Festival Night · Long Night of Museums · Long Night of Music · Long Night of Books
NEW SOUND GENERATION
2002–2003
Club and concert series featuring Drum & Bass, Future Lounge, Fusion and Electronic Music, with DJs and bands such as Beanfield, Les Gammas, Mellow, Newspirit Helsinki, Aromabar and the Johannes Enders Group.
In collaboration with Compost Records & Cosmic Sound Records.
New Year's Eve at the Bayerischer Hof
THE BIGGEST PARTY IN TOWN
1998 – 2023
Until 2019, it will be in a big way with 10 live bands and 6 DJs.
JAZZ BRUNCH IN THE PALAIS CELLAR
1998 – 2019
Jazz & Blues with renowned Munich musicians and
approximately 30 events per year.
PARTNERSHIPS
Sony Music · Bertelsmann Music Group · Compost Records · Cosmic Sound Records · BMW Welt · Münchner Kultur GmbH · Instituto Cervantes · HypoVereinsbank · Jazzinstitut München
What this means for you:
Distinctive concert formats with a clear artistic identity that complement one another and enrich a venue’s musical programme. From intimate bars to large-scale events, you benefit from extensive experience in managing events of every size.
SIGNATURE PROJECT
JAZZSOMMER AT BAYERISCHER HOF
From 1998 to 2013, Katarina Ehmki helped shape the Jazzsommer festival through press, marketing and communications before taking over as Artistic Director from 2014 to 2022. Her responsibilities included programming, international artist booking, curated art exhibitions and themed film series.
What this means for you:
Festivals and concert series with a distinctive artistic identity and signature style that set your venue apart.
 Jazzsommer im Bayerischen Hof 2014 |  Jazzsommer im Bayerischen Hof 2015 |  Jazzsommer im Bayerischen Hof 2016 |
|---|---|---|
 Jazzsommer im Bayerischen Hof 2017 |  Jazzsommer im Bayerischen Hof 2018 |  Jazzsommer im Bayerischen Hof 2019 |
CULTURAL EXPERIENCES
COUNTRY WEEKS
The world as our guest: music, cuisine and hospitality as one experience.
Between 2003 and 2017, Katarina Ehmki curated concerts featuring artists such as Ivan Lins, Rokia Traoré and Trilok Gurtu as part of the International Country Weeks. Depending on the country, the programmes were complemented by traditional food and beverages as well as selected spa treatments.
2003 Brazil · Spain / Tendencias
2004 Eastern Europe
2005 Morocco–Spain · India
2006 Balkans · Argentina · Cuba · China
2007 Brazil
2008 Russia · Africa
2009 Japan · Canada
2010 South Africa
2011 Italy
2012 Scandinavia
2013 France
2014 Croatia
2016 Brazil
2017 Africa
The themed weeks were developed in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes, the French Cultural Institute, Münchner Kultur GmbH and the respective consulates.
What this means for you:
Tailor-made themed weeks and event series that reflect the character of your venue and connect with your guests on an emotional level.
TALENT SCOUTING & YOUNG ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
RECOGNIZE TALENT. ENABLE DEVELOPMENT. PROVIDE A STAGE.
Discovering new talent has always been one of the most exciting aspects of programming for Katarina Ehmki. Alongside established artists, she deliberately created opportunities for young and emerging musicians. What mattered to her was not fame or commercial value, but musical quality, originality and potential for growth.
EARLY DISCOVERIES
Esbjörn Svensson Trio · Joss Stone · Viktoria Tolstoy · Kennedy Administration – Katarina Ehmki recognized their potential early on and brought them to Munich for performances long before they achieved international recognition.
BMW WELT JAZZ AWARD
The winning band of the BMW Welt Jazz Award was booked for a performance at the Night Club.
BLUE SUNDAY
In collaboration with the Jazzinstitut München, Katarina Ehmki established a concert series offering jazz students regular opportunities to perform live at the Night Club.
KURT MAAS JAZZ AWARD
For many years, Katarina Ehmki provided winners of the Kurt Maas Jazz Award with performance opportunities at the Night Club, giving emerging jazz talents a platform in the lead-up to the Jazzsommer festival at Hotel Bayerischer Hof.
PROGRAMMING STRATEGY
Supporting emerging talent was not a standalone special project, but an integral part of ongoing programming: young and emerging musicians, established artists from the Munich and German music scenes, and international acts were deliberately presented alongside one another.
What this means for you:
Artists who are the perfect fit for your venue and audience, including emerging talents you may well be hearing more about in the years to come.
SPECIAL PROJECT
MUNICH MUSIC CRITICS’ BAND
Critics play. Musicians review.
An idea by Katarina Ehmki and Wolfgang Schmid.
In 2008, a conversation with the Munich bassist Wolfgang Schmid led to an unusual idea: music critics would take to the stage themselves, while musicians would write the reviews in return. On 7 July 2009 the Münchner Musikkritiker Band (Munich Music Critics Band) played its first concert at the Night Club, and for the next ten years it opened the Jazzsommer at the Bayerischer Hof.
To mark Katarina Ehmki's farewell from the Bayerischer Hof, the band gave a concert at the Night Club on March 30, 2023 and dedicated the song “KATARINA” to her. The recording was made spontaneously and makes no claim to professional quality, but the joy is clearly audible.
Munich Music Critics Band & Katarina Ehmki 2017
Photo: Thomas Krebs
Klaus von Seckendorf, Ulrich Habersetzer, Roland Spiegel, Ralf Dombrowski, Oliver Hochkeppel, Ulrich Möller-Arnsberg, Katarina Ehmki, Andreas Florek, Caro Roth, Wolfgang Schmid