New York City, USA – A festival of Dominican music will take place on
Saturday, May 22, in New York City. The event is presented by The Center for
Traditional Music and Dance in association with Alianza Dominicana. The event
will also celebrate release of
Quisqueya en el Hudson: Dominican Music in New York, the new CD on
Smithsonian Folkways
The general concert: takes place at 8p.m. at the Peter Norton Symphony
Space, Broadway at 95th Street, New York City. Tickets: (212) 864-5400 or visit
www.symphonyspace.org.
Featured artists:Luis Dias is a major innovator of bachata music and a pioneer in the fusion of
Dominican folk traditions. A composer, guitarist, singer and bandleader, Dias
has brought Dominican music to worldwide audiences.
Coco Merensón is a popular merengue/son orchestra based in the Bronx. They
specialize in a fusion of Dominican music from the Villa Mella region where
Cuban son inspired its own fast paced Dominican variant.
Conjunto Folklórico of Alianza Dominicana is the youth music and dance ensemble
of the cultural program of Alianza Dominicana, the largest Dominican social
service organization in New York. Under the direction of Leonardo Iván Dominguez, this Conjunto performs and teaches folk and social dance, carnival
dance and music, ring games and other expressive traditions of the Dominican
Republic.
The Conjunto will also present a participatory Kids Program at 1p.m. with
workshops in palos drumming and merengue dance and a performance of highlights
from the Dominican carnival traditions such as the diablos cahuellos masquerade
and processional gagá music and dance.
Doña Chicha: one of the most accomplished singers of the “salves” folk Catholic
tradition. For generations, her family has been performing the rites and music
associated with San Miguel (St. Michael), the celebration of the Virgen de la
Altagracia, Patronales del Espiritu Santo (the celebrations of the Holy Spirit),
and Velaciones, which are community gatherings for funerals.
Nero Olivares: singer and guitarist from San Francisco de Macoris in the
northern part of the Dominican Republic. In New York, he makes his home in
Inwood, where he has formed his own son quartet that appears on the Quisqueya
en el Hudson CD.
Global Beat of the Boroughs is a series of concerts, CDs and family programs
celebrating world music and dance traditions emanating from the diverse
immigrant communities of New York’s five boroughs. Both the concerts and the
CDs, on
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, feature highly regarded cultural ambassadors of
music and dance from West Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean.
[Photos: 1 – Luis Dias. 2 – Coco Merensón. 3 – Doña Chicha].
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
