International jazz artistes Amber Kuti Smith and Ben Van Den Dungen to headline Goa Jazz Academy’s “All Things Music” festival.

AR Rahman Foundation’s “The Sunshine Orchestra” to perform too

GOa Khabar: Internationally acclaimed jazz artistes Amber Kuti Smith from the United Kingdom and Ben Van Den Dungen from the Netherlands will headline the Goa Jazz Academy’s (GJA) “All Things Music” four-day music festival in Goa from April 28 to May 1, to celebrate International Jazz Day.

Amber Kuti Smith is scheduled to perform at the GJA’s academy in Guirim on the evening of Monday, April 29th, while Ben Van Den Dungen will take the stage with his quartet at the Kala Academy on Tuesday, April 30th.

The GJA student collective will precede Amber Smith’s performance, and “The Sunshine Orchestra” from the celebrated musician A.R. Rahman’s Foundation in Chennai will open the evening’s performance on April 30th at the Kala Academy.

In a message, A.R. Rahman said, “I am very happy that ‘The Sunshine Orchestra’ brass band supported by our foundation will perform in the event hosted by the Goa Jazz Academy. This collaboration highlights the power of jazz and music to unite and inspire.”

The festival will include educational workshops starting with “A History of Jazz” on April 28th, which is open to everyone. The same day, Amber Kuti-Smith and Max O’Hara will hold the workshop “Soul Keys: Unleashing Your Voice.” A masterclass on improvisation led by Ben Van Den Dungen and his quartet will follow on May 1st.

Karan Khosla, director of the Goa Jazz Academy said, “At the Goa Jazz Academy, our role goes beyond education. We strive to enrich the local arts community, offering our students and the wider community opportunities to engage in professional settings and showcase their skills on a significant stage.” According to Khosla, the purpose of the four-day festival is to celebrate the universal language of music and also to promote Goa as a hub for cultural tourism.