SUN APR 15 2018 / 7PM
Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT UBC
“Santería is the base of Cuban music… Every single rhythm comes from the batá drum. So even if you are not singing a chant of Santería, if you are playing Cuban music there is a link with it.” – Daymé Arocena
(Public Radio International, 2017)
“Cuba is a music factory… you can always find someone who can really dance or sing or make art or play an instrument – everything there relates to music. – Roberto Fonseca
(Yorkshire Post, 2017)
Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca PRESENTED BY THE CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Pre-show Artist Talk with Roberto Fonseca 6:00pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall
Moderated by Sal Ferreras
Concert 7:00pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall Daymé Arocena vocals Jorge Luis Lagarza piano Rafael Aldama bass Yissy García drums INTERMISSION
Roberto Fonseca piano Yandy Martinez Gonzalez bass Yissy García drums
There will be one 20-minute intermission. Please remember to turn off your phones, and note that photography and recording are not permitted. Thank you!
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Daymé Arocena Singer, composer, arranger, choir director and bandleader, Daymé Arocena is a skillful, charismatic presence in Cuban music. She dresses in white as a visible reminder of her induction into the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria—its chants and repertoires are just as important to her as jazz and Cuban neo-soul. The 26 year-old’s family background is packed with music. Her grandmother, Arocena says, “sings better than she does,” and her father has stacks of CDs littered with smooth jazz that has trickled into her taste over the years. She often fuses fragments of rumba rhythms and outbursts of scatting into her songs and performances. “Even though I’m a classical musician,” she explains, “at school I also sang Santeria songs, which is the official Cuban religion for me. I studied its beautiful energy and all the elements from the sea, to the wind and the earth. My saint is Yemaya, saint of the sea.” Arocena experimented with a series of instruments – violin, trumpet, piano, and guitar – before she found that choir directing, a route popular with Cuban children, was her niche. Her talent was spotted at a young age: she won the prestigious Marti y el Arte award in 2007 and became principal singer with big band Los Primos at age 14. After winning the support of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Wynton Marsalis and much-lauded saxophonist Jane Bunnett, it wasn’t long before Arocena came to the attention of the Havana Club’s François Renié and Brownswood Recording’s Gilles Peterson. “Gilles and I met Daymé for the first time on Gilles’ first trip to Cuba,” Renié recalls, “improvising a rumba session at a friend’s place. She started to sing and we were amazed. She was just a teenager.” Later, she would perform at an album launch event in London, where she enchanted a packed audience and sealed plans for a solo record with Brownswood Recordings and Havana Cultura. Arocena’s debut album, Nueva Era, was released to critical acclaim in 2015. The Guardian declared her “a rich and powerful new voice from Cuba” and Songlines recognized her as “one of the most exciting new artists to come along in years.” The album was an important first statement for an artist who has plenty more to say. Her latest studio album, Cubafonia¸ is a diverse and impressive musical offering. Its fresh approach to traditional Cuban music with an infusion of jazz, funk, and soul elements has been praised by NPR for “moving the body and the spirit.” With excitement continuing to grow around this powerful, versatile artist, the future looks bright.
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Roberto Fonseca Cuban-born multi-instrumentalist Roberto Fonseca made his debut at the Havana International Jazz Festival in 1990 when he was 15, and has since been called “a charismatic spark plug of a pianist” by The New York Times. Born to a musical family in Havana, Roberto originally gravitated to percussion, which would eventually enhance his piano style. His first musical performance was playing drums for a Beatles cover band. At age 8, Roberto started playing the piano, and at 14 he began composing – drawing inspiration from Afro-Cuban music. “In school, we used to regard American jazz as a point of reference,” Fonseca recalls. “I felt that my music would be a fusion of both genres. I liked lots of jazz musicians, such as Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, but also old American funk and soul classics.” Roberto went on to obtain a degree in musical composition from the Instituto Superior de Arte, but that was only the beginning of his educational process. Fonseca saw every experience as an opportunity to merge his style with others and create something greater than the sum of its parts. In 2001, he joined Buena Vista Social Club alumnus Ibrahim Ferrer and his Orquesta de Ibrahim Ferrer for a world tour. The tour marked the beginning of an ongoing and fruitful relationship with BVSC and its various members. An ingenious composer and producer who draws on a wide range of musical traditions and genres, Fonseca has also had great success with his own solo projects including Zamazu, Akokan and Jazz in Marciac. His 2012 recording Yo brought together Cuban and African musicians with a mix of acoustic and electric sounds. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Latin Jazz Album, in addition to being named a top album of the year by publications like The Washington Post and NPR. In 2014 Fonseca released the album At Home with Mali singer Fatoumata Diawara. DownBeat Magazine called it “a terrific example of what makes 21st century improvised music so exciting: Fonseca is part of a generation of musicians who feel that all sounds from all countries are accessible to them, either in acoustic, electric or digitized form.” As always with Fonseca, there are new creative worlds to explore, and new artistic bridges to build between the traditional and modern day. His live shows continue to stun audiences across Europe, North America and Japan. The Guardian praised his latest album ABUC for being “astonishingly broad, tightly fused, and incandescently delivered.” It contains stellar collaborations with artists including Trombone Shorty, Eliades Ochoa, Daymé Arocena, Manuel “Guajiro” Mirabal, and more.
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Exploring the role of the arts and artists in society. chancentre.com/connects
Pre-show Artist Talk with Roberto Fonseca 6:00pm: Chan Shun Concert Hall Roberto Fonseca has been hailed as “one of the world’s great pianists and one of the finest of Cuba’s new generation of musicians” (The Evening Standard). He joins us on stage for a special artist talk, moderated by renowned percussionist and Kwantlen Polytechnic University Provost and VP Academic Dr. Sal Ferreras. Their conversation will touch on Fonseca’s fascinating life and music, including touring with Buena Vista Social Club and the inspiration behind his latest album ABUC, which he describes as a “review” of the rich history of music in Cuba. Please note that seating for the talk is general admission.
UBC School of Music Fanfares The fanfare that was performed in the lobby prior to this concert (6:40pm and 6:50pm) was commissioned by the Chan Centre from UBC student Mariah J.E. Mennie as part of an ongoing partnership with the UBC School of Music. Azura Quartet Eric Toombs - Soprano Saxophone; Mo Miao - Alto Saxophone; Haley Heinricks - Tenor Saxophone; Mia Gazley - Baritone Saxophone Mariah J.E. Mennie is an emerging composer based in Vancouver. Also an active pianist, vocalist, arranger, drummer, fire dancer, traveler, and educator, her artistic endeavors are wide-ranging. She is currently majoring in music composition at UBC, and has collaborated with the Plastic Acid Orchestra, Vancouver New Music, the Plastic Acid Band, Redshift, Hard Rubber Orchestra, VEE, Aventa, the End Tree, the Living, Maria in the Shower, and others. Torschlusspanik A German word—literally meaning “gate closing panic”—Torschlusspanik is the overwhelming, frenzied feeling that time is running out; a deadline is fast approaching; life is passing you by. This groovy Latin jazz-infused saxophone quartet is characterized by its sense of urgent movement and funky “panik.”
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Celebrating 20 Years The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts opened its doors in 1997, and this season we’re celebrating 20 years! Visit our anniversary archives at chancentre.com for memorable events, stories and never-before-seen photos from two decades of world class performance.
New Horizons
By Jennifer Van Evra
Of the thousands of artists who have performed at the Chan Centre over the past 20 years, few have appeared alongside as diverse an array of musical configurations as tabla master Zakir Hussain. Born in Mumbai and based in San Francisco, Hussain is revered around the world for his virtuosity and his mesmerizing live performances. Just as exceptional is his adaptability: at the Chan Centre alone, the veteran musician has appeared with Celtic all-stars including Scottish fiddle player Charlie McKerron; banjo icon Béla Fleck and bassist Edgar Meyer; groundbreaking Indian musicians Rakesh Chaurasia, Sabir Khan and his brother Fazal Qureshi as part of the Masters of Percussion project; and jazz luminary Dave Holland with legendary Bollywood composer and vocalist Shankar Mahadevan for Crosscurrents. “When I was playing with Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer it was almost like a chamber concert. Then when I played with the Masters of Percussion it was thundering. With Crosscurrents there were soft moments, loud moments and pulsating moments,” says Hussain, whose shows consistently win rapturous reviews. “Playing in all those different sonic zones on that stage, I just thought, ‘Wow, there’s nothing I can’t bring here.’” Venues like the Chan Centre are crucial to artists, he says, because they allow for experimentation in a way that far larger or less flexible venues cannot. “It stokes the fire in terms of finding other avenues to express yourself,” says Hussain. “So it’s a big service that organizations like the Chan Centre provide for artists — to have this avenue available to experiment and grow as musicians.” The venue also helps music students to grow, he adds, because it allows them to get a feel for a professional stage, and introduces them to touring artists from around the globe. Hussain himself has wowed dozens of UBC students with class visits and workshops, offering invaluable advice and encouraging students to keep learning and expanding their own musical horizons. Like most musicians who play the Chan Centre, Hussain is impressed by the concert hall’s exceptional acoustics — but he says the venue’s intimacy makes the experience all the more extraordinary. “For me that intimacy is very important. I like that I can lock eyes with the audience. I can look into their faces and we can connect, and suddenly it feels like you are one with them, like you’re in a living room with your friends and you’re having a conversation. It just makes the music that much more powerful, that much more enveloping, that much more three-dimensional,” he says. “That kind of transformation is one of the most satisfying a musician can experience.” As part of the 20th anniversary of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, we have commissioned 20 stories from writer Jennifer Van Evra – just a glimpse into all that has shaped who we are as an organization today. Read more at chancentre.com/anniversary. 9
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC Joyce Hinton Co-Managing Director Cameron McGill Co-Managing Director Carl Armstrong Events & Customer Service Manager Wendy Atkinson Programming & Rentals Manager Lloyd Balser Head Audio Technician Laura Busby Rentals & Programming Assistant Kara Gibbs Marketing & Communications Manager David Humphrey Production Manager Flora Lew Financial Coordinator Glenda Makela Financial & Programming Clerk Trevor Mangion Ticket Operations Manager Chloe Martin-Cabanne Operations Clerk Veronica Maynard Administration & Finance Clerk Caitlin McKee (on leave) Artistic Presenting Manager Claire Mohun Marketing & Communications Coordinator George Pereira Production Clerk James Perrella Assistant Head Audio/Stage Technician Andrew Riter Assistant Technical Director & Head Lighting Technician Nadia Roberts Events & Front of House Coordinator Lyndsey Roberts Ticket Office Supervisor Jennifer Sorko Artistic Presenting Manager Members of Cupe 2950 Front of House, Stage, and Ticketing Staff Valentina Acevedo Montilla Programming Assistant, Undergraduate Student Janice Lew Artistic Presentations Assistant, Work Learn Student Taryn Plater Marketing & Communications Assistant, Work Learn Student Administration Office
T: 604.822.9197
E: chan.centre@ubc.ca
chancentre.com /chan.centre.ubc
Ticket Office
T: 604.822.2697
@ChanCentre
E: chan.tickets@ubc.ca
/ChanCentreUBC
Graphic Design by Copilot Design Media Relations by Murray Paterson Marketing Group The Chan Centre would like to thank our 2017/2018 series sponsors: The Chan Endowment Fund and the UBC Faculty of Arts
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Upcoming Events at the Chan Centre Full details at chancentre.com
Apr 21 at 7:30pm: War and Peace – The Tallis Scholars Presented by Early Music Vancouver Apr 22 at 3pm: Inon Barnatan, piano Presented by the Vancouver Recital Society Apr 23 at 8pm: Laurie Anderson: All the Things I Lost in the Flood SOLD OUT Presented by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Apr 24 at 8pm: Arpanatolia Presented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey & Turkish Consulate General in Vancouver Apr 28 at 8pm: Circa: Opus Presented by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts Apr 29 + May 26 at 3pm: Wondrous Worlds Presented by the Vancouver Pops Symphony and Choir
May 3 at 7pm: Rise Up Presented by Choirs From Little Flower Academy May 4 at 7:30pm: Yuja Wang, piano Presented by the Vancouver Recital Society May 6 at 3pm: Russian White Nights: Opera Arias from 18th Century St. Petersburg Presented by Early Music Vancouver
CIRCA: OPUS
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“This Shostakovich-meets-the-circus show is sexy, fierce and astonishing” - The Telegraph
SAT APR 28 2018 / 8PM
Circa: Opus
DAYMÉ AROCENA
CHAN CENTRE AT UBC
Tickets and info at chancentre.com