Starting in 2009, Berklee had the opportunity to bring a student lead group to Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival. The festival is two weeks in length and has featured Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Dave Holland, and Joshua Redman among others.
Tag: Global Initiatives (Page 3 of 4)
Global Initiatives
Berklee student Esther Rojas, a Barranquilla native, was selected by the Office of International Programs to put together a group of students to visit Medellín, Pereira and Manizales, Colombia, as part of a two-week teaching and performing series sponsored by the Colombo-Americano bi-national centers. In her own words below, Esther shares her perspective on the musical and cultural significance of this experience.
The Office of International Programs wishes to thank Esther, Caili, Magnus and Patrick for their incredible professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the event planning and the trip itself. We also are grateful to director of learning support services Pablo Vargas and assistant director of admissions Billy Herron for traveling with the group and supporting Berklee’s outreach efforts in Colombia. A huge thanks also to the dedicated staff at the Colombo-Americano in Medellín and Pereira for making this event a reality.
This is the first entry in a series of the Berklee Rhythm Collective’s student perspectives on this event. Over the next few weeks we’ll hear from the rest of the band, and get a complete picture of this unique and powerful cultural exchange experience.
Student Perspective: Esther Rojas Rodriguez
I had the honor of being selected to coordinate the group that would travel to Colombia this past June, for a two-week program teaching workshops for young musicians and performing in concerts in Medellín, Pereira, and Manizales. I asked Patrick Simard (drums) and Magnus Bakken (sax) if they would be interested in collaborating in this project. Fortunately, they gladly agreed. Later on, at the suggestion of Jason Camelio, Caili O´Doherty – a recent Berklee graduate and a wonderful pianist – joined our group, forming the Berklee Rhythm Collective.
This trip proved to be one of the most valuable and gratifying experiences I have ever had, as for the first time I was given the opportunity to share with my countrymen something that Berklee has taught me.
Post by Jason Camelio, director of international programs.
Ronan Guilfoyle is a force in the world of music. In addition to being a world-class bassist, composer and educator, he is the founder and artistic director of the Newpark Music Centre just outside of Dublin. His deep passion for music and music education, intense studiousness and brilliant wit have taken Newpark from its start in 1979 to its current status as a top institution for contemporary music education.
Post authored by Amanda Gouldthorpe, assistant director for Office of International Programs
“Bom dia” from the warm and welcoming campus of our BIN partner the Conservatório Musical Souza Lima in São Paulo, Brazil, hosts of the first-ever Berklee on the Road in Brazil! The Berklee in São Paulo: Art of Improvisation – Blues and Jazz program kicked off yesterday, with 70 students attending seminars and master classes in this four-day program.
Featuring Berklee faculty Fernando Huergo, George Russell, Jr. and Casey Scheuerell, and Souza Lima faculty Lupa Santiago (also Souza Lima’s vice director, and a Berklee alum) and Guilherme Ribeiro, the program gives students a taste of the Berklee and Souza Lima experience. The Office of International Programs‘ “On the Road” program model is designed to promote educational exchange and provide students with an insight into what our institution is all about, in addition to giving them the opportunity to learn from our first-class faculty and to make new musical connections.
We are very pleased to have Berklee’s vice president of Global Initiatives/executive director of Berklee Valencia, Guillermo Cisneros, here with us to kick off the program. And as I’ve already mentioned, we’ve received the most wonderful welcome from the team here at Souza Lima. Director Antonio Mário da Silva Cunha, with the support of Cristiane Cunha and the fantastic staff here, have gone above and beyond not only to make the program run without a hitch, but to make us feel at ease – which isn’t hard, in such an open environment full of music and energy at every turn.
The program will be followed by two days of Berklee Auditions & Interviews here at Souza Lima, with additional A&I happening in Rio de Janeiro at the end of the month (http://berklee.edu/admissions/aidates#south_america). Check out photos from the Berklee on the Road event here: http://www.souzalima.com.br/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=62:berklee-on-the-road-sp&Itemid=234&lang=pt.