The City of Knowledge Foundation vibrates in tune with the Panama Jazz Festival

“We want to promote a fair, participatory and cheerful society. That’s what the Festival is all about and that is what excites us every January. ”
Professor Jorge Arosemena, Executive President of the City of Knowledge Foundation

At the City of Knowledge Foundation, every year begins with good music, thanks to the sounds of jazz.

The most important music festival in the country, the Panama Jazz Festival, has had its main “home base” at the City of Knowledge campus since 2011, when the Danilo Pérez Foundation and the City of Knowledge signed an agreement, thus sharing the Festival’s production since then.

More than half of its 160 employees are involved in the organization and coordination of the event, which makes this time of year especially busy: maintenance and operations, technology and security, communications and services teams are devoted to guaranteeing the Festival’s success.

The Executive President of the City of Knowledge Foundation, Jorge R. Arosemena, emphasizes that their commitment to this event is something inherent to the essence of the organization: “It helps us achieve our mission of being an innovative community that promotes social change through humanism, science and business,” he declares.

Prof. Arosemena points out that music has many positive angles and all of them are reflected in this festival that helps build a better country. “It creates an environment that allows everyone, with each of our own abilities, to contribute to creating an inclusive, harmonious and participatory society,” he says.

Beyond the concerts that take place throughout the week, the Festival has an educational component and experience exchange that allows Panamanian musicians and students to be connected with artists from all over the world. “At the Foundation, we are happy to play a key role in an event that has an important social impact and at the same time positions Panama as a cultural reference in the region,” he concludes.

Due to this dual appeal -entertainment and education- the Festival has achieved impressive attendance figures: in 2019 alone, more than 25,000 people attended the closing concert and 30,000 attended the workshops, symposia and concerts throughout the week (including the closing event).

“The coordination and logistics entailed in offering this tantalizing experience to different audiences in just a few days is challenging, which is why we get to work with Danilo Pérez Foundation as early as August,” declares the Manager of Culture and Community at the City of Knowledge Foundation, Davinia Uriel Abad. “Our tasks are multiple: from ensuring the adequacy of the rooms, the correct functioning of technical equipment, to implementing proper signage and traffic coordination, road closures, and communication of all activities,” says Uriel Abad.

In addition to the more than 100 City of Knowledge Foundation employees who actively participate in the Festival, this private non-profit institution hires security support personnel to help in the logistics of the closing concert particularly, an event supported also by the Land Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT, for its acronym in Spanish).

In addition, the usual “rhythm” of the City of Knowledge does not stop and all its other usual activities continue simultaneously. “This week we do not forget the people who live and work on campus, so we are in communication with them to ensure their participation or enjoyment of the Festival without causing discomfort in their routines,” says Uriel Abad.

The City of Knowledge is an open space that welcomes Panamanians and foreigners, and the Panama Jazz Festival is an excellent opportunity to get to know and enjoy its beautiful campus, while at the same time discovering – in real time – the future promises of jazz in our country.

Regardless of whether you’ve been a faithful jazz fan of since 2003 or if this is your first jazz festival, we invite you to take advantage of all the activities the Panama Jazz Festival has to offer. The City of Knowledge team will be waiting for you!