In May, a group of music students ventured abroad to Cartagena, a Caribbean city on the northern coast of Colombia. There, they visited local schools and universities to teach and collaborate, eat, dance, and take in the city. At night, they performed for energetic crowds.
This year, students also attended the International Brass Festival, relaxed on a private island and performed on the steps of the Simón Bolívar Memorial Monument.
Ross Walter, associate professor of trombone, has been taking students to Cartagena for the last seven years. In total, 35 students have participated as featured artists. They also provide instruments and music lessons to Colombian students through a partnership with La Fundación Tocando Puertas and its president Evelia González Porto.
Check out the slideshow below to learn about the music department’s Cartagena program in the words of students from this year and years past.
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