Singer and composer Elina Duni has won the 2025 Swiss Jazz Award.

The Albanian-born artist will receive the award during this year’s Ascona Jazz Festival. She will give a concert on June 28, just before the ceremony.

Duni is signed with the renowned label ECM. She previously won the Swiss Music Prize in 2017. In a press release, festival organizers praised her for creating a poetic and emotional musical language. They highlighted her ability to blend jazz with the traditional music of her homeland.

Duni has released several albums with ECM, including Matanë Malit (2012) and Dallëndyshe (2015). In 2018, she recorded Partir, following her 2017 collaboration with guitarist Rob Luft. This partnership led to Lost Ships (2020) and A Time to Remember (2023), both featuring Rob Luft and flugelhorn player Matthieu Michel.

Born in Tirana into an artistic family, Duni moved to Geneva with her mother after the fall of the communist regime. She studied classical piano before turning to jazz. Later, she studied composition and improvisation at the University of the Arts in Bern.

Duni also founded the Elina Duni Quartet with pianist Colin Vallon, bassist Patrice Moret, and drummer Norbert Pfammatter. Together, they merge jazz with the evocative sounds of Balkan folk music.

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