By Hannah Mead
Colombia Reports
Medellin is due to host a three-day jazz festival featuring US and Colombian university jazz orchestras for the fourth year running.
The University Jazz Festival, coordinated by language / culture institute Colombo Americano and the Medellin city government, will present three nights of concerts displaying “different interpretations of Jazz, from the classic to modern,” from three Colombia and three American jazz bands.
As well as putting on performances for jazz fanatics, the June 14-16 festival involves a foreign exchange program between young musicians in the US and Colombia, which will serve “to promote their professional development,” according to organizers Colombo Americano.
The exchange program offers Medellin music students theoretical and practical workshops under the guidance of renowned Jazz groups from the US. Through the workshops, participants will have the opportunity to learn techniques to interpret jazz and improvise, which organizers claim will enrich the experiences of young musicians.
The festival organizers have won sponsorship from American Airlines and the support from the Colombian Ministry of Culture and the US Embassy.
Concerts commence at 8PM every night of the festival at the Metropolitan Theater and will feature performances from US acts the University of Cincinnati Jazz Quartet, Berklee Rhythm Collective and the University of North Texas Jazz Quartet as well as Colombian university groups.
Tickets can be purchased on the Metropolitan Theater’s website and prices range from $10-20.
