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The Internacional Jazz Festival began in Managua

ViaNica.com | Mar 2, 2011

Cinthia Membreño

The activity program that the organizers of the Nicaraguan International Jazz Festival made public last week began on Monday, March 1st, with a music lecture given exclusively to national musicians by Jeff Gardner (United States). The official inauguration of the event will be today, March 3rd, at the Ruben Dario National Theater, with a performance by the Ramai Dais Sexteto (Nicaragua) and the Gianni Gagliardi Threesome (Spain).

During a press conference given to the national media, the organizers were excited about developing a fourth edition. Ramai Dais, founder and director of the festival, explained that this year they will have the participation of 10 national and 4 international groups. "Jazz lovers are aware of what it is to put your heart into music. That's what our bands will do during this festival," he said.

On the other hand, Joan Morrison, PR of the Nicaraguan German Cultural Initiative, stated that this is the third year in which the German embassy supports the festival. "We bring groups with new musical proposals, not only classical jazz but also contemporary. We want to show national musicians what is happening outside Nicaragua," she declared. This year, the embassy invited the Frederik Föster Quartet, which will give a free concert at the French Alliance (Managua) on Friday 4th.

In addition, Valerie Wheat, cultural member of the American Embassy in Nicaragua, talked about the importance of music as a communication element between people, seeing it as a way of promoting cultural exchange. In this occasion, the embassy invited Jeff Gardner, who said he feels grateful for being here. "As a musician, I know that Nicaraguans have the right of making culture and he have the commitment of showing the real musical roots, through genres like blues, jazz, rock and roll, and others," he said.

Furthermore, Nataliya Leshchenko, one of the organizers of the event, explained that the goals of the festival is to promote the interaction between musicians and the audience, so they can develop a better taste for jazz. "We (also) want to promote the professionalization of the guild. That's why our call for the lectures is massive and open to national musicians," she expressed.

For further information, call Rodrigo Peñalba (8460 7125), Nataliya Leshchenko (8351 1066) or Ramai Das (8659 8080).