Music of the Americas: North and South

Tuesday, May 21, 10 am

Argentine pianist and composer Gisela Magri was born in La Plata, and over a 20-year career, she has released 3 albums and collaborated with artists including Lidia Borda, Altertango, Noelia Sinkunas, and many others. See has received several national and international prizes from Inamu, Ibermúsicas, and appeared on stage at FaCaff, X Virada Cultural, Dois Pontos, Tecnópolis, and others in Agrentina and abroad. She is also an anthropologist, professor, and cultural organizer. 

With guitarist Gimena Mazzello, Magri she sent this version of her tango "Carrroña y Futuro" (Carrion and Future), about which she says: 

"This tango speaks as much about the elements in the title as it does about its uncertain future. Tango is not only a musical genre, a dance, or a visual attitude, it is a platform of deep cultural identity that always feeds on its dead symbols. It is circular and anthropophagic, our daily bread, and we are that past, we are nurtured by that history, and we constantly bring it up to date, we eat it to carry on living, making, singing. Also, tango pulsates with vitality, is the future and we advance within it, reinventing it with new works, new pairings, new revolutions. In this tango 'after tango,' we wander around, mutants, coexisting with all its layers and calling for play and experimentation on our urban sonorities. "Carroña y Futuro" is a milonga reguetonera, harsh and smooth, contradictory, as popular as it is sophisticated, roots and dissident, that simultaneously thinks and itself and catches fire." 

The video was recorded at Casa Cultural Sindical Cuchá! MPA in La Plata, with camerawork by Jaquelina Larrouyet and production assistance by Nacho Villabona.

Wednesday, May 22, 10 am

The Daniela Conejero Trio fuses influences of folk, jazz, and world music. The trio (Daniela Conejero on voice, percussion, and composition, Italo Aguilera on banjo and backing vocals, and Felipe Conejero on bass and backing vocals), is based in Frutillar in the Chilean Patagonia and plays a very active in the local artistic and educational scene, participating in initiatives to strengthen the local music industry and intercultural connections. They have performed in Chile and internationally. Their album Nómade was recorded in different territories, expanding their reach and establishing collaborative links with different artists and audiences. 

From the shores of Llanquihue Lake, they sent us two of Conejero's compositions. Today, we share "Natural," a bolero that speaks about a musician's nomadic life, about the process of migrating, the possibility of finding a better place to live, and the inner search through inhabiting new and different territories.

Thursday, May 23, 10 am

On May 7, 2024, the Canadian soprano presented music recently written for her and original compositions for voice and electronics and voice and saxophone by Francisco del Pino, Raven Chacon, Christian Quiñones, and Mundy.

More information

The MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas concert series is made possible by the generous support of Presenting Sponsor MetLife Foundation.

The Spring 2024 Music program is also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, by the Howard Gilman Foundation, by the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation, by the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, by the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, by The Amphion Foundation, by the Augustine Foundation, and by the Mex-Am Cultural Foundation.