¡Si Cuba! Arts Festival in New York City – Schedule of Music Events: March 31-June 16

Showcasing a wide array of dynamic Cuban talent from classic Cuban legends to contemporary sensations, the ¡Si Cuba! Arts Festival (http://sicuba.org/en) bridges the gap between American and Cuban culture and allows visitors to experience Cuba’s vibrant spirit. The festival will run from March 31 to June 16 and will feature works from various creative outlets including music, films, art exhibitions and literature. Live concerts will feature the best of son (the precursor of modern salsa), rumba and hip hop to NYC. Tickets range from free to moderately priced.  It’s a rare opportunity to experience the energy of Cuba all together in the US.
¡Si Cuba! Arts Festival, New York City




These musical acts will showcase their talents in the ¡Si Cuba! Arts Festival this spring:

Serenading audiences with Cuban son tunes for more than 80 years, Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro de Cuba woos concertgoers with its traditional Cuban playlist of rumbas, boleros and son classics. The ensemble was dubbed one of the great champions of the Cuban son. The Zankel Hall lounge will offer pre-concert drinks, and the first 200 concertgoers will receive a complimentary drink.

April 16, 10pm

Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

57th Street and 7th Avenue

Tickets: $38-$46

Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro de Cuba

http://worldmusicinstitute.org/event.php?id=1118

Highlighting Cuban culture’s African roots, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas performs lively rumbas, intense drumming and rituals through song and dance. The band includes members from three generations and also incorporates Spanish influences into its works for an energetic performance that will have concertgoers dancing along.

Thursday, May 5 at 8pm
Friday, May 6 at 8pm
Saturday, May 7 at 8pm

Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street

Tickets: $33-43

http://worldmusicinstitute.org/event.php?id=1089

Dubbed “Cuba’s best-kept secret” by The Scotsman, The Creole Choir of Cuba brings spirituality to the forefront through Afro-Caribbean percussion and a capella arrangements sung in Creole. The ten choir members radiate passion through their music, which stems from their family histories of Haitian migrants who escaped slavery to work in Cuba’s sugarcane fields. The ensemble’s exquisite Haitian and Martinique meringues and mazurkas will be featured in the festival.

Saturday, June 4 at 8pm

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

30 Lafayette Avenue (between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place), Brooklyn

Tickets: $20-40

The Creole Choir of Cuba

http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=2906

Latin Grammy-nominated singer Xiomara Laugart has recorded more than 15 albums and will take the stage once again to showcase her sultry songs in the festival. She has performed with various leading Cuban musicians and starred as Celia Cruz in off-Broadway’s Celia.

Saturday, April 30 at 8pm

Jamaica Performing Arts Center

153-10 Jamaica Avenue, Queens

Tickets: $22

http://worldmusicinstitute.org/event.php?id=1120

A true “triple threat,” rapper/activist/poet Telmary Diaz adds splashes of contemporary culture to traditional Cuban son and salsa. Diaz’ pairing of Spanish rhymes with reggae beats and jazz guitar have established her as a cultural trendsetter amidst Cuba’s hip-hop revolution.

Saturday, April 23 at 9pm

Bar opens at 6pm

BAMcafé

30 Lafayette Avenue (between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place), Brooklyn

Tickets: Free

Telmary Diaz

http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=2902

Following in the footsteps of his legendary father and jazz musician Chico O'Farrill, Grammy-winning pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill, head of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, teams up with his sons Zack and Adam to bring dynamic Afro-Cuban tunes to concertgoers. The concert will take place during the Wall to Wall Sonidos (http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6500-wall-to-wall-sonidos), a marathon of Latin music.

Saturday, April 30 at 9pm

Bar opens at 6pm

BAMcafé

30 Lafayette Avenue (between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place), Brooklyn

Tickets: Free

http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=2904

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