Kurt Edelhagen

Kurt Edelhagen (born 5 June 1920 Herne, Germany – died 8 February 1982, Cologne, Germany) was a German big band leader. Edelhagen studied conducting and piano in Essen.In 1945, he started a trio, then a big band a year later.He performed on the radio station in Frankfurt am Main, then for three years beginning in 1949 led the Bayerischer Rundfunk in Nuremberg.From 1952 to 1957 he led the Sudwestfunk big band.In 1954 he participated in the Concerto for jazz band and orchestra by Rolf Libermann.Three years later he began leading the radio station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) big band in Cologne.Members included Dusko Goykovich and Jiggs Whigham.The band toured East Germany, USSR, Czechoslovakia, and several Arab countries during the 1960s. His radio orchestra played at the opening ceremony of the 1972 Munich Olympics.