How people and organizations learn, grow and change through partnerships is the theme of the annual Guelph Jazz Festival colloquium taking place this week at the University of Guelph.

The three-day event, “Learning Outwards from Jazz and Improvisation,” runs until Sept. 15.

The annual colloquium is the only scholarly event of its kind associated with a major jazz festival in Canada, and attracts researchers, musicians, arts presenters and community members.

The colloquium coincides with the 24th edition of the award-winning Guelph Jazz Festival, founded by U of G English professor Ajay Heble. Heble is the director of the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation, which partners with the Guelph Jazz Festival on the colloquium.

Activities will include panel discussions, interviews, workshops and performances. Highlights include a Thursday panel discussion on university-community partnerships led by Eric Lewis, director of the Institute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas at McGill University.

The colloquium is free and open to the public, and will take place mostly on the U of G campus. More details are available online.