The 2021 G2 Summit Ensemble is an international collaboration between the Jazz departments of the University of Louisville and the Universidad El Bosque in Bogota Colombia. The students from the two schools have never met in person.

Personnel/Personal:

Alto Sax/Saxo Alto: Ben Sevy (UofL)
Tenor Sax/Saxo Tenor: David Hernandéz García (UEB)
Guitar/Guitarra: Santiago Andrés García (UEB)
Piano: Matheus Pagliacci (UofL)
Bass/Bajo: Chris Fitzgerald (UofL)
Drums/Batería: Luisa Fernanda Goméz Lizcano (UEB)
Director: Chris Fitzgerald (UofL)

Dark And Lonely/Oscuro y Solitario
Composer/Compositor: Chris Fitzgerald
Audio and video mixing by Chris Fitzgerald

Mission Statement:

The G2 Summit Ensemble is an international musical outreach Initiative founded by the University of Louisville Jazz Studies Department. It features students from UofL performing asynchronously alongside students from music schools in distant countries with whom we have built previous musical relationships and exchanges. In each version of the project, two ensembles are created, one in each school, with faculty from each school leading the mixed ensemble and focusing on music native to their culture. In this time when international travel is difficult for many reasons, this project seeks to ensure that the music and cultural interchange will continue.

El G2 Summit Ensemble es una iniciativa de divulgación Musical internacional fundada por el departamento de Estudios De Jazz de la Universidad de Louisville. Este proyecto presenta a estudiantes de Jazz de la UofL tocando de forma asincrónica junto a estudiantes de escuelas de música de diferentes países con los que hemos construido, de manera previa, relaciones e intercambios musicales. En cada versión del proyecto se crean dos ensambles, estando cada uno de ellos dirigidos por maestros de cada una de las universidades participantes, trabajando con estudiantes de diferentes escuelas, enfocándose en las músicas propias de cada unas de sus culturas. En este momento en que los viajes internacionales son difíciles por muchas razones, este Proyecto busca asegurar que el intercambio musical y cultural continúe.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville Jazz Studies Program refused to let a little thing like a global pandemic interfere with its international collaboration.While COVID-19 shut down travel, it could not shut down UofL working with the Universidad El Bosque of Bogota, Colombia. Under the direction of UofL Associate Professor of Music Chris Fitzgerald and Javier Perez of the Universidad El Bosque, students at both universities collaborated remotely to produce jazz performances.The result? Four YouTube performances – two from UofL and two from Universidad El Bosque – that show viewers the skill and expertise of the students from both schools.

Online Now:

• UofL: “Dark and Lonely: A COVID Anthem”
• El Bosque: “Despés que me olvide de Ti”

Dropping Monday, July 26:

• UofL: “Tumbling Down
• El Bosque: “Abordo de Tu Voz”

The schools have collaborated in person before – both program directors are alumni of the UofL School of Music – but the pandemic required innovative thinking to enable students to work together this year.

“Each student recorded their part in the performances separately,” Fitzgerald said. “Once I received my group of performances, I was able to use computer software to combine them. Javier did the same.”

And while Fitzgerald and Perez are looking forward to resuming their in-person collaboration, the remote experience has provided new learning experiences for both faculty and students.

“It’s been great to learn how to put together separate remote performances into one cohesive presentation,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s something we now can impart to our students going forward to further their education.”

#WeAreUofL

EDITOR’S NOTE; CUTLINE FOR ATTACHED PHOTO — Musicians from UofL and Universidad El Bosque perform “Dark and Lonely: A COVID Anthem.

Jill Scoggins, 502-852-7461, jill.scoggins@louisville.edu