The 12th Annual Latin Music and Culture Celebration | Nov 8th – 22nd, 2010

Berklee Presents Latin Music and Culture Celebration in November

Berklee presents its 12th annual Latin Music and Culture Celebration,showcasing musicians from 30 countries, including Argentina, Colombia,Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil, and Spain, performing tango,flamenco, Latin jazz, salsa, merengue, traditional Venezuelan cuatro,and Afro-Cuban. The celebration features concerts by Mariano Martos, Maria Mulata, Nando Michelin, C4, Rodolfo Reyes, Larry Harlow, Almir Cortes, and several student groups. A unique program of additional events include a Day of the Dead Celebration; clinics and discussions with faculty, alumni, and guest artists; a documentary film screening;dance classes; capoeira/yoga classes; and networking sessions.

Berklee’s Latin Music and Culture Celebration 2010 was coordinated by Oscar Stagnaro, professor of bass, and Jane Stachowiak, director of student wellness and health promotion. Said Stachowiak, “The events were planned on suggestions from faculty and staff in close collaboration with students to provide clinics and performances that would enhance understanding and appreciation of the diversity of Latin music and culture.”

All events are open to the public. Concerts at the Berklee Performance Center, located at 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston,are $10 for general admission unless otherwise noted. Events at Cafe939, and The Loft-Room 221, both at 939 Boylston Street; David Friend Recital Hall, at 921 Boylston Street; and Berk Recital Hall and Recital Hall 1W, both at 1140 Boylston Street, are FREE. Visit berklee.edu/events for more information.

Select events from Berklee’s Latin Culture Celebration below. For a complete schedule, please visit: www.berklee.edu/news
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Monday, November 8
Ebony Goddess: Queen of Ilê Aiyê

Film Screening, 6:00 p.m., The Loft-Room 221

Ebony Goddess: Queen of Ilê Aiyê is a documentary following women competing to be an Afro-Brazilian carnival queen. Selection is based on Afro-centric notions of beauty, in contrast to the prevailing standards in Brazil, famous for supermodels and plastic surgery. The screening will be followed by a discussion. The event also features Brazilian drumming lessons with Berklee alumnus Marcus Santos, leader of the group Bloco AfroBrazil.

Tuesday, November 9
Nando Michelin

Concert, 7:30 p.m., David Friend Recital Hall

Uruguayan Nando Michelin, assistant professor of piano, performs original jazz with a South American influence. Michelin’s group includes Eyal Shmuel Hai on saxophone, Tal Gamlieli on bass, Tiago Michelin on drums, and Nando Michelin on piano.

Latinite: El Mariachi, La Babilla, Latina/Italia

Concert, 8:00 p.m., Cafe 939

This concert features music from Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil performed by Berklee students Paola Gonzalez, Andres Fonseca Alfonso, and Sissy Castrogiovanni.

Wednesday, November 10
C4 / Rodolfo Reyes

Concert, 8:15 p.m., Berklee Performance Center
Jorge Glem, Héctor Molina, and Edward Ramírez converged in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas to form the trio C4. In 2006, the group recorded its first album with producer Aquiles Báez. Within a few weeks, the album became a huge hit in Venezuela, reaching double Gold Record status. In2009, C4 released Entre Manos, including a CD and a live DVD. Bassist Rodner Padilla joined in 2009, enriching their uncommon repertoire for cuatro and adding improvisation to the group’s performances. In the second half of the concert, Venezuelan saxophonist and flautist Rodolfo Reyes, a Berklee alumnus, shares his outstanding charts that he is donating to Berklee’s Stan Getz Library. They will be performed by a big band that includes Berklee faculty and students. Since returning to Venezuela after studying at Berklee, Reyes has worked with every major jazz and classical artist and symphony orchestra in the country, and has appeared on countless recording sessions. Reyes is the co founder of Saxomania, a sixteen-piece big band specializing in jazz-influenced salsa music.

Sunday, November 14
Capoeira/Yoga Classes
, 4:00p.m.-6:00 p.m., The Loft- Room 221
 Learn capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance, in a class led by Paola Gonzalez.

Tuesday, November 16
Nacho Mena and Andres Sylleros
Clinic, 4:00 p.m., David Friend Recital Hall

For this clinic, Chilean drummer and Berklee alumnus Nacho Mena is joined by pianist Andrés Sylleros. After studying arrangement, composition, and drums at Berklee, he joined Ornette Coleman’s group before forming Rapa Nui to record his own compositions. Mena is currently director of the School of Music and Technology at the Universidad del Pacifico’s Music Department, and he performs with his new group.

I-Yun Chung: Aries from Argentina

Concert, 4:00 p.m., Berk Recital Hall
I-Yun Chung and her student group perform tangos and original music.

Wednesday, November 17
Songs from Latin America

Concert, 4:00 p.m., Berk Recital Hall

This concert presents students from the Latin and Jazz Performance Class taught by Mili Bermejo, professor of voice, including singers and rhythm section, with Latin and jazz arrangements.

Thursday, November 18
Ariadana Pliego

Concert, 4:00 p.m., Recital Hall 1W
Ariadana Pliego and her student group perform flamenco music.

Berklee Signature Series

Larry Harlow Meets Berklee

Concert, 8:15 p.m., Berklee Performance Center

Larry Harlow is one of the most important figures in the history of salsa. He helped shape the sound of Fania records, recording more than 40 albums under his own name and producing more than 200 more for other artists at the label. For his contribution to Latin music, he has received the Grammy Trustees Award. Tonight, with a Berklee student group produced by Oscar Stagnaro and conducted by Matt Nicholl, Harlow will perform his classic salsa and Afro-Cuban hits. Tickets, $20 general, $15 for seniors

Friday, November 19
Richy Pena – Coffee and Casual Conversation
Networking, 1:00 p.m., The Loft-Room 221

Localhip hop/reggaeton artist Richy Pena is a native of the Dominican Republic. Through a unique combination of different sounds and drawing inspiration from various genres, he has emerged as one of the most dynamic reggaeton producers in Boston. He has produced numerous songs for Don Omar, Jadiel, Marcy Place, Las Moscas, and many others.

Saturday, November 20
Latin Choreography and Dance

Class, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., The Loft-Room 221

Katalin Matyus teaches a dance and choreography class in merengue and salsa.

Monday, November 22
Almir Cortes

Clinic and Concert, 4:00 p.m., Berk Recital Hall

Brazilian musician Almir Côrtes plays mandolin, guitar, cavaquinho, and violacaipira. He performs traditional and regional genres including choro,frevo, and baião, with a contemporary approach that includes experimentation and improvisation. Cortes is also an academic researcher. He is working towards a Ph.D. in popular music performance at UNICAMP. He has played and held workshops all over Brazil, the U.S.,and Europe, and recorded two CDs.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over 65 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry “who’s who” of alumni, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.