The Ministry of Culture, with the sponsorship of the AES Dominicana Foundation, will kick off next Monday “Berklee in Santo Domingo 2024”, a musical program of great national and international importance, which will take place until January 13 at the renovated National Conservatory of Music.
The inaugural ceremony will take place at 10:30 am in the Manuel Rueda hall of the Conservatory and will be headed by the Minister of Culture, Milagros German. She will be accompanied by Edwin de los Santos, president of AES Dominicana; Nadia Nicola, director of the National Conservatory of Music and Jason Camelio, representing Berklee College of Music.
The fifth edition of this intensive course, which will last one week, is also sponsored by Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Itabo and will benefit 209 music students from all over the country, selected from among approximately one thousand applicants.
Under the academic direction of renowned bassist Fernando Huergo, participants will receive instruction from world-class teachers, including Norman Zocher and David Gilmore on guitar; Shirazette “She Beats” Tinnin on drums; Jason Palmer on trumpet; Gregory Grover on saxophone; Anastassiya Petrova on piano; and Kaimy Masse on vocals.
In addition, the outstanding Dominican musician Josean Jacobo, a graduate of Berklee College of Music, will be a guest professor.
The program will include master classes by leading figures such as the prodigious pianist and composer of music for multimedia Marc Yu; the talented Dominican musician and Berklee graduate Penbian Sang; and the participation of Nannette Vélez, Director of Scholarships of the Latin Grammy Foundation.
Berklee-MINC Agreement
One of the highlights will be the signing of an articulation agreement between the Berklee College of Music and the Ministry of Culture, which will allow students from the Popular Music Department of the National Conservatory of Music to transfer their courses to Berklee College, marking a milestone in the country’s artistic education, after more than 10 years of collaboration and exchange between the two institutions.
As a conclusion of the program, a concert by the students will be held on the last day. In addition, Berklee professors will offer a recital for the participants and the general public.
The event will also be a unique opportunity for Berklee applicants, as the admissions team will hold auditions and interviews for selected students interested in being admitted to the college’s full-time undergraduate program.
Also, scholarships, sponsored by the AES Dominicana Foundation and Itabo, will be offered for those who qualify and wish to participate in the Aspire summer program, a five-week intensive music performance course.
“Berklee in Santo Domingo 2024” is coordinated by Berklee College of Music, the Ministry of Culture, Fundación AES Dominicana and Itabo, and is aimed at island residents who are at least 15 years old and have been playing an instrument or singing for a minimum of six months.
The event promises to be an enriching and transformative element of the Dominican music scene, consolidating the position of the “Berklee in Santo Domingo” program as a focus of educational excellence in the field of music.
Source: Presidencia.gob.do
