Aotearoa Kicks off 2021 International Jazz Day celebrations
The New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO was delighted to be able to support New Zealand’s official contribution to UNESCO’s International Jazz Day, which is celebrated on April 30th each year.
A celebration of Jazz, which included a gala concert and jazz workshops with the future of New Zealand jazz – our students – took place in Whanganui on Friday.
National Commission for UNESCO Commissioner Communication and Information Vanisa Dhiru attended the celebrations.
“It was lovely to be part of the first International Jazz Day event in the world for 2021. Ken Chernoff and Whanganui Collegiate were wonderful hosts. It was an excellent mix of musicians. So awesome to see the talented Rodger Fox still able to make students sweat with their first impromptu solo in front of a live audience. It was clear the students had a great day learning jazz.
It was an honour to represent the National Commission for UNESCO and meet so many jazz enthusiasts,” Vanisa said.
International Jazz Day brings together countries and communities world-wide to celebrate Jazz and highlight music’s important role in encouraging dialogue, combating discrimination and promoting human dignity.
Proclaimed by UNESCO in 2011, International Jazz Day now reaches more than 2 billion people annually on all seven continents, through education programs, performances, community outreach, radio, television and streaming, along with electronic print and social media.
The National Commission supports programmes, initiatives, promotional activities and events (like International Jazz Day) that are relevant to UNESCO’s mandate and help build peace in New Zealand, through our major and minor grant schemes.
For more information on the Whanganui celebration check out this news article.