Music of the Americas: Canciones and Cartographies

We complete the cycle of Diego Kohn's "Cartographies for the Present," which he recorded outdoors in Zurich in March 2025. 

Wednesday, July 23, 10 am

Gilbert Martinez Sanchez studied the gaita, a traditional wind instrument from the Colombian Caribbean with distinguished practitioners and became one of the first Bogotanos to play it professionally. He mixed the sound of the gaita and drums with rock sounds with the band Distrito Especial, and with other artists. He has collaborated with artists including Aterciopelados, and Bloque. He received a Grammy Award for best children's album in 2009 and has represented Colombia in international festivals. 

He founded La Tambora de Gilbert in 2004. With that group, he sent "A que te encuentro," a song based on a game of rhyming improvised verses. 

Thursday, July 24, 10 am

Romanzas Sefaradíes is an Argentine ensemble founded by singer Yasmin Garfunkel, violinist Sami Abadi, and pianist Silvia Gerszkowicz in 2022. It is dedicated to performing traditional Sephardic music from Spain and the Mediterranean shores, mainly songs of love and heartbreak. The trio formation and the Argentine musical identity of the members gives the group a style unique for this repertoire.  

From Buenos Aires, they sent us this version of "Una pastora yo amí," a song that describes the longing of a boy that falls in love with an older woman. 

Friday, July 25, 10 am

Dúo Calambú is back with "Joropo Tumbao," a piece by flutist Jakob Valbuena that mixes beats of Colombian joropo llanero with a tumbao typical of Cuban music.

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

The 2024–2025 series is also supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Augustine Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Mex-Am Cultural Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Amphion Foundation, and Mid Atlantic Arts.