The 25th edition of the traveling program “Berklee-on-the-Road” will take place from June 24-29 in Essaouira, producers and organizers of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival Berklee College of Music and A3 Communication announced in a press release.
Entitled “Berklee at the Gnaoua and World Music Festival,” this program is designed for active musicians looking to deepen their skills as improvisers. It is open to students from diverse musical backgrounds, ranging from classical music to Gnaoua music, pop, rock, and jazz.
Candidates must be at least 18 years old at the start of the program and have a minimum of two years of experience in practicing their main instruments.
“The Gnaoua and World Music Festival of Essaouira is a unique gathering, a musical laboratory that welcomes artists from around the world each year to share their rhythms with those of the Maâlems Gnaoua,” President of A3 Communication and producer of the Festival Neila Tazi said.
She added that this year’s program “…marks the beginning of a strong partnership with Berklee, aimed at providing a very unique experience in the heart of the African continent, the true cradle of world music, through this training program.”
The program falls under the academic direction of Professor Leo Blanco from Berklee’s African Studies Department, with Jason Camelio overseeing the administrative aspects, the press release added.
A team of artists and professors from Berklee, including Ron Savage, Vice President and Executive Director; Viktorija Pilatovic, accomplished jazz singer, composer, and adjunct professor; and Javier Vercher, associate professor in Berklee’s study abroad program in Valencia, Spain, will all share the duties of instructing the participants. The instruction will be in English and will be translated into Arabic.
“I am excited to launch this new edition of the Berklee-on-the-Road program at the Gnaoua and World Music Festival,” Vice President and Executive Director of Berklee College of Music Ron Savage said.
The “Berklee at Gnaoua and World Music Festival” program will run from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. daily.
“Participants will be guided on how to connect their musical language with that of others, starting by listening and understanding the musical concepts of their peers,” the program’s academic director Leo Blanco noted.
The agenda showcases workshops on various themes such as “The Composer as Improviser,” “Building Your Creative Vocabulary,” and “Styles, Grooves, and Accompaniment Labs.”
A series of conferences will also explore the fusion between Gnaoua music and different contemporary genres, as well as delve into music technology and business.
Participants will learn about the Berklee Abu Dhabi Fellowship, which provides Berklee scholarships to students from the Middle East and North Africa.
All students will receive free badges granting access to reserved areas at the main stages of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival 2024.