Argentinian pianist Alexander Panizza, who is recognized internationally because of its impeccable classical repertoire, will be performing this week at Casco Viejo`s National Theatre. Wednesday 27th, at 8 p.m. , all proceeds will go to the Danilo Perez Foundation.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Danilo Perez Foundation, they founded Panama`s first Jazz School which is located in Plaza Herrera, Casco Viejo. Their dream, which today is a reality, was to reach out to the poorest neighborhoods and open their eyes to another world full of possibilities through music.
They started small, the first big obstacle was to find a place. A private developer commited to a holistic revitalization of Casco Viejo (Conservatorio S.A.) donated part of what used to be the old Music Conservatory to the school. There, the Foundation started to teach children from Chorrillo, Santa Ana, San Felipe and even as far as Colón.
International jazz star Danilo Perez and his wife, musician and “chief in command” Patricia Zarate, are the dynamos behind the foundation . They created what today is one of the best jazz festivals in the region: the Panama Jazz Festival. Through the festival, their dream was to raise the bar in music education in Panama (Danilo is Panamanian) and after several years they are starting to see the results. Today, their best “kids” play in Boston with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. And this year, for the first time, one of their students will complete the cycle which started when he was 13 years old: he is moving from being a student and a performer to a teacher. In the years to come, their first full graduation will be doing the same, coming back to Panamá to help others like them break the cycle of poverty through first class music education.
Thumbs up to the Danilo Perez Foundation and everyone supporting their amazing work!
