Music of the Americas: New Season of En Casa

Monday, September 22, 10 am

Jimena Ángel is a singer, producer, guitarist, and DJ from Bogotá, who was a member of Pepa Fresa, Sidestepper, and Alerta Kamarada before turning to her solo career in 2007. She has released three albums and multiple singles, has been nominated for a Latin Grammy, and has toured the United States and Europe, performing at festivals including Glastonbury, Roskilde, Foreztival, and Guts Presents Around Pura Vida, among others. She has just released her fourth album. 

From Bogotá, she sent us this version of “Telepatía," a song about falling in love and that stage of romantic love where there is a mutual fascination and the connection is so strong that there is a telepathic language. The music was inspired by the African "highlife" genre, but, the author says, "maybe because I'm Colombian, it went a little bit to the side of our champeta and one or another pop ingredient that is already in me.”

Tuesday, August 23, 10 am

NIWA is a Brazilian singer-songwriter of Japanese and Indigenous descent based in São Paulo. A dedicated explorer of the voice, she is part of the experimental a cappella quartet Gole Seco, known for original vocal arrangements that challenge norms of femininity through improvisation, extended techniques, and rich vocal textures. Formerly the frontwoman of Carcaju, she fused Brazilian folk with urban music and rock. In 2023, she released her debut solo album Araponga, inspired by Brazilian popular culture and contemporary pop. She has worked as a voice teacher since 2014 and is certified in Somatic Voicework. Committed to accessible, inclusive music education, she has led community workshops focused on deconstructing colonial standards in vocal pedagogy. Since 2018, she has been a member of the prestigious Coral Jovem do Estado de São Paulo. In 2023, she was selected as one of 25 global artists for OneBeat, a U.S.-based international music residency centered on collaboration, community engagement, and creative experimentation.

Wednesday, September 24, 10 am

Jahra Dúo (Jairo Rodríguez and Epiara Murillo) is back with a "Annicca," a piece that speaks of the only constant in life: impermanence.

Thursday, September 25, 10 am

Colombian musicians Michelle Camargo and Oscar Salamanca are part of Fórmula Music Productions, a collective of musicians, arrangers, educators, conductors, dancers, producers, and artists based in Cincinnati, dedicated to spreading Latin American music. 

They sent us this video of José Revelo Burbano's "Fantasia in 6/8," a classic of the Colombian clarinet repertoire, which was originally written for clarinet and guitar. It is written to the rhythm of the bambuco, a musical genre and Colombian folk dance, characteristic of the Andean region of Colombia and an symbol of the country's national identity.

Friday, September 26, 10 am

Manuela Ocampo is a singer and songwriter from Bogotá. She released her first album in 2021, two singles in 2024, and is now preparing to release her second album, produced by Richard Blair. Her voice, melodies, and poetry invite us to enter a universe of magic, nature, and mystery. "Mariposa" is a song from her upcoming album Ocasos y Albas. This video features her on guitar and vocals, along with her brother on synthesizer.

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

The 2025–2026 series is also supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University.