Luxembourg Embassy in Washington DC Hosts Jazz Concert Featuring Jérôme Goldschmidt

On Wednesday 7 November 2018, the Luxembourg Embassy in Washington DC hosted a Jazz Concert featuring the “El Violin Latino” band on a perfect autumn evening; the band consisting of talented musicians included a Luxembourg percussionist Jérôme Goldschmidt.

On behalf of H.E. Ambassador Sylvie Lucas, who was on travel, Deputy Chief of Mission Véronique Dockendorf and Consul Stan Myck welcomed the room full of guests of the Embassy to an exciting concert cosponsored with DC Jazz Festival, an annual series of events in Washington D.C. The audience included friends of Luxembourg, diplomats from a number of EU Member States, a board member of the International Students House, as well as music lovers from all walks of life.

The event was also a part of the Fishman Embassy Series, named in honour of Charles Fishman, founder of the DC Jazz Festival®. This series presents artists from across the globe in partnership with the foreign embassy community in Washington D.C.

“Though born in the U.S., jazz music has evolved over the last century as the renowned global music. In its earliest stages, jazz music was the specific province of American artists. Gradually through the performance of the music around the world, including the robust international network of jazz festivals, and the broad dissemination of jazz education – including learning artists from around the world migrating to the U.S. to study the music – jazz has become the world's music. Where once almost exclusively U.S.-based or expatriate musicians performed jazz music across the globe, artists around the world now express the jazz esthetic through the lens of their own unique cultures. The Fishman Embassy Series is a classic example of the worldwide impact of jazz music,” states the DC Jazz Festival website.

“El Violin Latino,” led by Gregor Huebner is a great exemplar of global jazz phenomenon. Huebner is an award winning violinist, pianist and composer - who performs solo as well as with several ensembles such as Sirius Quartet, Berta Epple and Salsafuerte. He is a guest professor of composition at the University for Music and Theatre in Munich, Germany. In 2017 he received the Grand Prize for New York Philharmonic's New World Initiative Composition Challenge for his composition “New World, Nov 9. 2016.”

The pianist Klas Mueller was born in Germany and raised in Japan, Chile, and Brazil. Mueller began playing the piano at an early age. His eclectic background gave this classically trained musician a natural ease with styles ranging from Latin to Brazilian jazz, modern to avant-garde. He is known for Brazilian Jazz with a New York flavour, featuring mostly original compositions interpreted by some of today’s finest Brazilian and New York-based musicians.

Bassist Itaiguara Brandao is a New York City-based recording artist and bassist/guitarist. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he has toured internationally and recorded extensively with a wide range of Latin and World Music artist.

El Violin Latino mesmerised the audience with Jazz from Argentina, Brazil and Cuba. They took the audience to the 1920s Cuba with the marvellous tune in Cha Cha style.
In the elegant tradition of the Luxembourg Embassy events, Deputy Chief of Mission Véronique Dockendorf as well as Counsul Stan Myck assisted by Social Secretary Elisabeth Herndler and Victoria Vieru enabled Ambassador Lucas in strengthen the cultural ties with Luxembourg’s Friends in Washington.