Berklee to Audition and Interview Kenyan Musicians

Berklee College of Music, the world's leading institution for the study of contemporary music, will be holding audition and interview (A&I) events in Kenya as part of its Africa Scholars Program, offering talented musicians the chance to be awarded scholarships to attend the college. The college inaugurated the Africa Scholars Program with A&I events in Accra Ghana, and Durban, South Africa in the summer of 2008. Those resulted in $1.4 million in scholarships being awarded to 26 musicians, including a four-year scholarship covering full tuition and room and board.

The auditions, open to citizens of any African nation, will be conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 2 and 3, at the Brookhouse School. For more information or to apply, visit berklee.edu/scholarships/africa .

Eric Wainaina, artistic director at the Brookhouse School and a Berklee alumnus, is hosting Berklee’s visit and plans several events to give area musicians the opportunity to learn from faculty and alumni. Auditioning musicians and area school groups are being invited to clinics and master classes on June 4 and 5 at the Brookhouse School. Said Ron Savage, chair of the Ensemble Department, who is heading the auditions, “These events offer a stronger connection to the host institution and lets us introduce students to the Berklee arena. They also allow us to learn more about them, which is very important. We hope to interact with Kenyan musicians in a meaningful exchange.”

A roundtable discussion with Berklee faculty and local educators about music education is also planned. The Brookhouse School appointed Wainaina last year to start a performance academy and he’s hoping to exchange ideas with other educators about curriculum and the challenges facing schools in Kenya and other parts of East Africa. Said Wainaina, “Schools in Kenya run the gamut from high quality, to schools in the slums that have music programs but can't afford to put windows in the school building. I’d like to discuss how different schools deal with their economic circumstances and what some of the solutions can be.”

Club Afrique in Westlands, Nairobi, will also host a Berklee night during Wainaina’s weekly gig on Thursday, June 4, at 8:00 p.m. Faculty, alumni, and invited guests will perform along with Eric Wainaina and the Mapinduzi Band. The show is open to the public.