Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca at The Chan Centre

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC presents Afro-Cuban neo-soul singer Daymé Arocena and Havana-born piano virtuoso Roberto Fonseca in an exhilarating co-bill on April 15th at the Chan Shun Concert Hall. These shining talents who draw from Cuba’s storied musical tradition will each ignite the stage – Arocena with her intoxicating vocals, and Fonseca with his sophistication on the keys – offering a fresh and modern take on the styles rooted in their Caribbean home country.

Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca at The Chan Centre

Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (at UBC, 6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver)
When: Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 7:00pm
Tickets: Available online now from $38, in person at the box office, or by calling (604) 822-2697.

Photo credit: (L) Gabriel Guerra Bianchini (R) Arien Chang

Born in Havana in 1992, Arocena is a vocalist, composer, bandleader, and choir director best known for her unique, soulful mix of jazz, rumba, and Cuban neo-soul inspired with chants of the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion. She began to sing when she was four years old and after 10 more years of perfecting her voice, she caught the attention of Cuba’s prestigious band Los Primos, who invited her to become their lead singer.

Arocena’s star quickly began to rise after being discovered by BBC broadcaster and producer Gilles Peterson. A whirlwind of opportunities soon followed, including a collaboration with praised Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnett alongside five other Cuban women on the self-titled album, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque. The album won a JUNO Award for ‘Best Group Jazz Album of the Year’ in 2015.

Shortly after graduating, Fonseca left Cuba to “find his sound.” Returning from a tour in Italy, he teamed up with saxophonist Javier Zalba to form Temperamento, the group that would become his creative platform for the next 15 years. Their first album, En El Comienzo, was named ‘Cuba’s Best Jazz Album’ in 1999. Following the release of a series of solo albums, Fonseca found stardom when he was tapped by Buena Vista Social Club to replace Rubén Gonzalez following the pianist’s death in 2003.

Fonseca embarked on a world tour with the Buena Vista Social Club, and joined founding member Ibrahim Ferrer to play more than 400 concerts. Upon returning to Cuba, Fonseca released the album that would bring him mainstream fame, Zamazu, merging many of his influences: Afro-Cuban music, jazz, classical music and traditional Cuban music. He followed it up with Akokan (2009), Live in Marciac (2010) and Yo (2012), the latter of which won him a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Latin Jazz Album’ in 2014.

Pre-Show Talk with Roberto Fonseca – Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 6:00pm at the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Percussionist and Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Provost and VP Academic Sal Ferreras hosts a conversation with Roberto Fonseca. Free for ticket holders.

Win Tickets

The Chan Centre has offered up two tickets for a lucky Miss604 reader to see Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to see Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca at the Chan Centre April 15th @DaymeArocena @ChanCentre http://ow.ly/9y1k30j7TrG” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, March 29, 2018. Follow The Chan Centre on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about upcoming shows.

Update The winner is @BethAroundTown!