Entertainment
Weeklong Fest ends on a jazzy note
The sixth iteration of the International Jazz festival concluded on Sunday with an open concert at Nagbhahal, Patan.Samikshya Bhattarai
The sixth iteration of the International Jazz festival concluded on Sunday with an open concert at Nagbhahal, Patan. Organised by Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory (KJC), the weeklong celebration of the International Jazz day saw performances by Jazz artists from Nepal, Germany, Italy, Spain and Brazil along with various free workshops, master classes, concert, film screening, live painting and more over the course of six days.
Speaking to the Post, coordinator of KJC, Sunita Shakya, said, “Because we are celebrating this festival for the sixth time, we wanted to celebrate the Jazz Day over six days.” She added, “We wanted to encourage the participation of local people in the genre and hence this year we collaborated with the Newari community in Nagbahal for our last performance—an open concert.”
At the closing ceremony in Nagbahal, the fest saw an interesting blend of authentic Nepali musical instruments with traditional jazz instruments.
“The workshops and trainings this year were more intensive and the participation more enthusiastic,” Shakya added. This year, the artists participating in the fest also performed at schools and orphanages around the Valley. The fest saw participation of a total of seven international and 25 local artists.
International Jazz Day is an event celebrated worldwide and its main goals are celebrating cultural differences, freedom of expression, and human diversity. It is celebrated every year, since 2011, after Unesco proclaimed April 30 as the day to celebrate “the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.”