Jordan Berg is set to showcase his music composition skills at the highSCORE Festival in Pavia, Italy from July 17-29, 2023. (Photo: J. Goulet - LNN)

By Justin Goulet

Lethbridge man to take part in prestigious international music festival

Jul 14, 2023 | 1:27 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A Lethbridge man is set to showcase his talents in Italy.

Jordan Berg will be taking part in the annual highSCORE Festival in Pavia, Italy, just south of Milan, from July 17 to 29, 2023.

He explained, “I’ve written a quartet for cello, that will be performed and recorded there.”

Berg, who plays drums and guitar at the professional level, said over the course of the festival, he will be able to learn from and share ideas with fellow musicians, composers and instructors, including David Ludwig, the Dean and Director of the Music Division at The Julliard School.

He stated, “There are things like this called festivals around the world. So basically, it’s student composers like myself going somewhere and writing music, getting lessons, collaborating and having classes. [It’s a] work development workshop-kind of artistic residency.”

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Berg said it took him a while to build up his portfolio to be accepted for the event.

He said with a smile, “This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with some of the best teachers in the world and it’s not easy to get into. I think there’s about a dozen people this time, if I’m not mistaken, and I’m one of them.”

This is not the first time Berg had applied to attend the highSCORE Festival. He explained that he had successfully applied at the start of 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the event being moved to an online format. Berg was able to meet fellow artists but is excited about the opportunity to take part in-person.

Berg’s trip is being funded by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, a public agency and a provincial coordination of the Alberta Government with a mandate to support and help in the development of the arts in the province.

MUSICAL ROOTS

Berg explained that he comes from a musical family.

“My mom was a piano teacher. My sister has a degree in music, in piano. My dad plays guitar,” he said.

Berg added, “I was kind of late to the party. I didn’t get lessons or anything like that. I participated in school a little bit, but not anything seriously.”

When Berg’s family moved to Lethbridge [age], he decided to pursue music and began taking drum lessons. “I got bit by the [music] bug then and from there it took off for sure,” he said.

Berg’s musical interest later stretched into the classroom.

“Most recently, I graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor of Music and Composition under Dr. Arlan Schultz,” he said.

He added, “Before that, I studied at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, in Hollywood, and I have a certificate from the Berklee College of Music in Boston [and] I studied privately in Toronto.”

Berg travels to Italy with previous festival experience, having taken part in events such as the Atlantic Music Festival in Waterville, Maine in 2019. His composition is scheduled to be performed as part of the highSCORE Festival on Thursday, July 20.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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