The Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association (SKSCA) is pleased to announce the return of the Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition. SKSCA will select one female high school vocalist and one adult female jazz vocalist from the greater Seattle area to go to Kobe, Japan to perform at the Kobe Shinkaichi Music Street Festival May 9-11, 2025.

Finalists for the audition will be selected September 27th, and they will perform at a live audition at The Triple Door on Sunday, October 13, from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Doors open at 5:00 pm.) Family, friends, and community members are encouraged to come and support the finalists. Tickets are $20.00, ($15.00 Students/Seniors); proceeds will support this and future Seattle-Kobe Jazz exchanges. Tickets can be purchased at the door, but seating is limited so reservations are recommended.

This year’s audition will include the U.S. premiere performance of the 2024 Kobe Jazz Queen Competition, Motomi Iono. Since 2000, the winner of the Kobe Jazz Queen Contest has flown from Japan to Seattle to debut in the U.S. The 23rd Kobe Shinkaichi Jazz Vocal Queen Motomi Iono will perform with local artists David Joyner (piano), Clipper Anderson (bass), and Mark Ivester (drums).