egillis@manager
Fri, 07/07/2023 - 17:27
Edited Text
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.
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.
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