SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA OPENS MIAMI DADE COLLEGE’S 17TH ANNUAL CULTURA DEL LOBO SERIES
MIAMI, Sept. 4, 2007 – Miami Dade College kicks-off its annual Cultura del Lobo Performance Series with a spectacular concert by the Grammy Award-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The 13-piece ensemble, replete with vibrant horns and stunning vocal harmonies, will play selections from the group’s latest release, United We Swing.
The legendary band will take the stage on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 East Flagler Street, Miami. Members of the ensemble will also present master classes and lectures for students at MDC’s School of Entertainment and Design Technology and New World School of the Arts prior to the opening event.
As part of the Cultura del Lobo series, the concert marks the beginning of a vibrant season, which will also feature poetry, a dance-theater performance, jazz concert and dance ensembles.
“Through our cultural series, we are constantly searching for ways to present artists in Miami for the first time who easily push the limits of traditional art forms and represent innovation,” said Gregory L. Jackson, interim director for MDC Cultural Affairs.
Since its arrival in 2000, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra has established itself as a standard bearer of contemporary Latin music. Under the direction of world-renown pianist, composer and producer Oscar Hernández, the band creates songs inspired by the musical legacy of El Barrio, a pulsating urban community in New York City that gave rise to Latin Soul, Salsa and Boogaloo.
“Our music style is the original sound of New York old-school ‘salsa dura’ (heavy salsa) that was played in the early years by our pioneers,” says Hernández. “That sound has been lost and we want to keep it alive while educating new generations and music lovers in general on the true musical roots of our culture.”
On the new album, the all-star ensemble again taps into their unique style with 13 original compositions grounded in identity. United We Swing is a stunning follow-up to their 2004 Grammy award-winning album Across 110th Street, and their 2002 Grammy-nominated debut, Un Gran Día En El Barrio.
WHAT: MDC Cultura del Lobo series presents Spanish Harlem Orchestra
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 E. Flagler Street, Miami
Tickets are $52, $32, and $27, students and seniors pay $18. To order online, visit www.mdc.edu/culture.
The Cultura del Lobo Performance Series is an initiative of Miami Dade College, through the Cultural Affairs Department. Cultura del Lobo (Culture of the Wolf), originally conceived as a play on the name of Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus and the adventurous spirit of its programs, has a celebrated history of featuring international and culturally specific work, both traditional and contemporary, which would not otherwise be seen in this region.
For more information contact: MDC Cultural Affairs Department at (305) 237-3010
Media-only contacts: Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu; Beverly C. Rodrigues, MDC media relations director, 305-237-3949, brodrigu@mdc.edu or Juan Mendieta, MDC communications director, 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu.