The Improvisational Music Workshop is an institution born from our friend group. It was created to promote our favourite improvisational musical genre as well as stage it live. We began organising performances 25 years ago in the Students Club at the University of Pécs. Right as our student years were over, we moved back to Szombathely and founded our music workshop. Come the year 2000 we created Lamantin Jazz Festival, named after the majestic manatee. In the 20 years since, this huge adventure has been a recurring part of our lives – and to our delight, the lives of many others.

Our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to the colourful world of jazz, soul, funk, blues, gospel, and other related genres. Our aim is to be able to listen to as many great performances here in Szombathely as possible and do so at an affordable price! We are aided in this by the city and innumerable other supporters, whom we cannot thank enough.

Our little manatee grew and grew and is now part of a family – no small feat as an endangered animal! The festival now includes an Improvisational Camp (we have Márkus Tibor to thank for the idea). During the rest of the year, we also organise shows as part of Lamantin Club for those that we have already managed to infect with our enthusiasm for the genre – and the animal species.

We hope to see you all at our events!

Tímár Péter

Founder, artistic director and main organizer of the festival