Katara European Jazz Festival starts on Wednesday

Katara - the Cultural Village Foundation has announced the launch of the seventh edition of the Katara European Jazz Festival, which will take place from Tuesday until November 6 in co-operation with the embassies of 11 European countries.

In his speech at a press conference on Tuesday, Katara general manager Prof Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti expressed happiness at the return of the festival in light of the precautionary measures taken by the government. “The festival is witnessing a remarkable development in its current version, as it is sponsored by the European Union, while in its previous editions it relied only on the participation and sponsorship of embassies. It hosts an orchestra from France in this version. "He noted that the festival has succeeded in confirming its name as a global artistic event, based on the successes achieved in the previous version. He praised the existing co-operation between Katara and the embassies of European countries in Qatar, which resulted in the opening of important cultural and civilisational windows to introduce European musical creativity. He also expressed gratitude to the festival sponsors. In turn, the ambassadors thanked Katara for organising the festival, and the sponsors as well. They also spoke about their countries' participation.Spain's ambassador Maria Belen Alfaro Hernandez said, "Since our first participation in the festival, we have welcomed groups from Cataluña, Galicia, Madrid or the Basque Country. We are keen to welcome Sergio de Lope this year, an artist from Andalusia."Edgar Dörig, ambassador of Switzerland, thanked Katara and the sponsors and invited the public to attend the event and enjoy Swiss folk and live electronic music. Hungarian ambassador Ferenc Korom said, "Growing up in different countries, the musicians have diverse backgrounds; however, they play together in perfect symphony. We must find this symphony in our lives to fulfil our goals and live a blissful life.” Poland's envoy Janusz Janke said, “Poland will be represented by one of the most talented jazz artists of the young generation, the phenomenal duo of Monika Borzym and Krzysztof Dys. They will present their joint project, 'Monika Borzym Sings Old Songs', which was inspired by songs written by Polish composers and literary authors prior 1939."Portugal's ambassador Dr António Alves de Carvalho said he was "looking forward to sharing a little bit of Portuguese jazz with the public in Qatar. After one year without the Katara European Jazz Festival, we are all very enthusiastic to see everyone together again.” Italian envoy Alessandro Prunas said, "I am proud that for the very first time, Ferra and Casarano will present themselves as a unique duo here in Doha, combining their instruments in an emotional and intense concert for our public in Qatar."Eleni Michalopoulou, the Greek ambassador, said: ”The universality of music as a means of communication and understanding will allow the Qatari society to come together and celebrate the return to live cultural events after a long period of pandemic restrictions.” German envoy Dr Claudius Fischbach said, “It is my pleasure to present a German jazz band to take part in the 7th Katara European Jazz Festival. I am confident that Jin Jim will enchant the audience in Doha with their innovative mixture of Latin, jazz and rock."French ambassador Jean-Baptiste Faivre noted, "The festival is a precious opportunity to welcome the talented Orchestre National de Jazz (French National Jazz Orchestra). It is our greatest honour to have on stage the 19 musicians of the ensemble.” William Asselborn, Belgian envoy, said: “Belgium has played a key role in jazz history...and this tradition is kept alive by the current generation of artists. MEQ is one of the most talented groups of Belgian contemporary jazz and undoubtedly one of the finest European jazz experiences of the moment."Karin Fichtinger-Grohe, ambassador of Austria, added: “Proud that we are again able to showcase the diverse European expressions of jazz. I consider Doha and Katara an ideal place for the jazz festival."The sponsors of the event are Qatar Airways, Qatar Music Academy, FNAC, Fifty-One East, EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture), European Union Delegation to the State of Qatar, Delegation of the European Union in Kuwait.