pr ™ Paquito D'Rivera ‘03H defies categorization. The winner of 14 Grammy Awards, he e~ is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a 3 * classical composer. Born in Havana, Cuba, he performed at age 10 with the National Theater Orchestra, studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music, and at 17 became a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony. As a founding member of the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, he directed the group for two years, while at the same time playing both the clarinet and saxophone with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. He eventually went on to premiere several works by notable Cuban composers with the same orchestra. Additionally, he was a founding member and codirector of the innovative musical ensemble Irakere. With its explosive mix of jazz, rock, classical, and traditional Cuban music never before heard, Irakere toured extensively throughout America and Europe, winning a Grammy in 1979 and receiving a nomination in 1980. D'Rivera’s numerous recordings include more than 30 solo albums. In 1988, he was a founding member of the United Nation Orchestra, a 15-piece ensemble organized by Dizzy Gillespie to showcase the fusion of Latin and Caribbean influences with jazz. D'Rivera continues to appear with the group as guest conductor. A Grammy was awarded to the United Nation Orchestra in 1991, the same year D'Rivera received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Carnegie Hall for his contributions to Latin music. Additionally, D'Rivera’s highly acclaimed ensembles—the Chamber Jazz Ensemble, the Paquito D'Rivera Big Band, and the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet-are in great demand world wide. Berta Rojas ranks among today's foremost classical guitarists. She has been praised as a "guitarist extraordinaire” by the Washington Post and by Classical Guitar Magazine asan "ambassador of the classical guitar.” Rojas has been nominated three times for Latin Grammy Awards: in the category of Best Instrumental Album for Dia y Medio, a duet with Paquito D'Rivera (2012); in the category of Best Classical Album, for her aloum Salsa Roja (2014); and more recently in the category of Best Tango Album, for her album History of Tango (2015), recorded with the Camerata Bariloche. Rojas's warmth and musicality have eamed her the admiration of audiences at major venues worldwide: the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and the Frederick P. Rose Hall of Jazz at the Lincoln Centerin New York; London’s South Bank Centre; the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; the National Concert Hall in Dublin, where she performed as a soloist with the Irish Radio and Television Orchestra; and the Flagey Studio 4 in Brussels, where she performed with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra on Belgian national television. Rojas has been ranked among the most influential women in the Hispanic world by EFE and esglobal. She has been named a Fellow of the Americas by the Kennedy Center for her artistic excellence, and honored by her native Paraguay with the title of llllustrious Ambassador of Musical Art.In 2015, she was awarded the National Order of Merit of the Comuneros and received honorary doctorates from two national universities. In 2017, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to culture, she received both the National Order of Merit Don José Falcén and the Carlos Colombino Award.