Organizers Announce Second Annual “Music Ed Fest” 2018

Santo Domingo, October 1, 2018 – The first music education festival, known as “Music Ed Fest” was held in Santo Domingo for the first time on July 27, 2017. On that day, renowned national and international musicians led music workshops to the general public, free of charge.

This year’s Festival will take place on Saturday, October 20, in the Auditorium of the Pedro Henriquez Ureña National University (UNPHU) in Santo Domingo. The Festival will bring together live music groups, music professors, and will sponsor workshops where local musicians and students will work on various musical genders such as jazz, among others.

The workshops and other activities are free of charge and open to students, professional musicians and the general public. On opening day, participants must register at the university auditorium. The activities will officially begin at 2:00 p.m. with special workshops on Dominican music, led by local professional musicians. The workshop will conclude with a question and answer session and a jam session with the participating musicians.

This year’s Festival will be headed by Dr. Bill Sando and pianist Pavel Polanco-Safadit. The workshops will be led by Dominican musicians Toné Vicioso, guitarist Gioel Martin; percussionists Miguel Montás, Luís Mojica and Sly De Moya, and vocalist Angely Matos, among others.

The initiative began when the Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis and the Dominican Evangelical Church began to work together in various projects. Dr. Bill Sando and renowned international musician Pavel Polanco-Safadit have worked together during the last two years with Dominican musicians in special musical workshops held in the southwest town of Baní and Santo Domingo.

During this year’s Festival a complete musical scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding student, to complete his/her studies at Earlham College in Indianapolis.

The Festival is sponsored by UNPHU University, the Dominican Fiesta Hotel & Casino, the Presbytery of Whitewater Valley, the Second Presbyterian Church, Dr. Abraham Polanco-Safadit, the Dominican Evangelical Church, Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, Sando-Aker Plastic Surgery Group, Direct Contact, One on One, Jazz en Dominicana, Promoción Objetiva Gráfica and Ron Veleiro.