Monday, June 16, 2025

Music of the Americas: End of Spring

The week features new videos from Colombian and Argentine artists.

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This week, En Casa starts a series of videos by Colombian artists curated by our collaborator, singer and cultural entrepreneur Caro Guttmann, who guided us on a beautiful tour of her magical region in southern Chile earlier this year. The first artists in the new series are the duo Danza Colibrí and the Oscaryvan Garzon Trio, with original compositions recorded in the Colombian Andes.

Argentine guitarist Juan Pablo Esmok Lew returns with another original composition and we start sharing four videos by fellow Argentine composer and improviser Diego Kohn, who sent us four installments of his "Cartographies for the Present" from Zurich.

En Casa: Diego Kohn

Tuesday, June 17, 10 am

Diego Kohn is an Argentine musician, educator, and specialist in musical improvisation currently teaching at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in Switzerland, and is an active member of METRIC, the European network promoting improvisation in higher music education. Trained in Argentina and Switzerland, his work explores the intersection of contemporary music, collective creation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. He regularly performs and teaches across Europe and Latin America, fostering dialogue between diverse musical traditions and educational practices.

"Cartographies for the Present" is a series of improvisations for viola and electronics that explore the notion of mapping the present through sound. The composer says about the pieces: "As a Latin American musician living and working in Europe, I approach improvisation as a space of encounter—between cultures, identities, memories, and geographies. These pieces emerge from a desire to listen to the present moment and to trace, through spontaneous musical gestures, the emotional and symbolic landscapes I inhabit. Improvisation becomes both a method and a metaphor for navigating the complexity of belonging and movement across borders."

Today we release the first of four sections of the work, which Kohn recorded in Zurich.

En Casa: Oscaryvan Garzon Trio

Thursday, June 19, 10 am

Oscaryvan Garzon is a Colombian pianist, educator, and composer whose music features sophisticated harmonies and rhythmic drive. He has appeared at festivals in Colombia and abroad, including Festival Jazz al Parque (where he won prizes in 2024 and 2015), the Festival Internacional de Música de Cartagena, Festival Medejazz in Medellín, Festival SUMAQ Festival in Lima, International Jazz Day Arequipa Festival, and several others. He released his debut album, "Cumbre y Asfalto," in 2016, and followed it with "Resiliencia" in 2022, stand out. Currently, in addition to his performing career, he also teaches theory, jazz piano, ensembles, composition, and analysis at Universidad Sergio Arboleda University.

From Bogotá and with his trio, where he is joined by tiplista Cindy Gómez and bassist Anderson Castrillón, he sent us two videos. Today we share "Fantasía de bambuco."

En Casa: Danza Colibrí

Friday, June 20, 10 am

Colombian ensemble Danza Colibrí creates music with Colombian and Latin American cadences, drawing on sounds from other continents and interweaving lyrics committed to spirituality. Founded in 2018 by Gabriela Sossa and Jorge Currea, Danza Colibrí has released albums and several singles and music videos, and has toured internationally.

From Choachí, their home about 25 miles east of Bogotá, they sent us two videos. Today we share "Lucero del Alba," a song inspired by the early morning sky that sings specifically to the morning star, which different cultures have honored for its diverse meanings and beauty. The musical tone refers to the southern Pacific region of Colombia and is based on the rhythm of the old bambuco. The guitar borrows melodies and rhythms from the chonta marimba. "Lucero del Alba" is an invitation to reconnect with the celestial.

Funders

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.