Edmar Castañeda has carved out a place for himself in Latin jazz on an instrument you don’t often hear in his style of music: the Colombian harp. “I was born to play the harp” says Castañeda, who beautifully merges the joropo folk of his Bogotá roots along with contemporary and Latin jazz traditions while juggling lead, rhythm, and bass lines without giving up the groove. NPR “Tiny Desk Concerts” producer Moses Sumney noted: “My brain cracked open when I first saw this. Some classical instruments are so ingrained in our heads for sounding one way; Edmar Castañeda restructures what we know of the harp, defiantly expanding the bounds of the instrument.” Joining Castañeda onstage are vocalist Andrea Tierra, saxophonist Shlomi Cohen, and drummer Rodrigo Villalon.

Castañeda can be heard on the soundtrack of the Disney release Encanto with its original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Castañeda’s eight acclaimed albums include the Latin Grammy-nominated Family, and Viento Sur, his 2023 release featuring a nine-person ensemble of acclaimed global musicians from Switzerland, Brazil, Cuba, Israel, Chile, USA, Argentina, and Colombia. The array of compositions on Viento Sur were commissioned by American Chamber Music from the “New Jazz Works Grant.”

Club-style performances offer first-come, first-served seating at tables of four in the Studio Theatre. Full bar service with snacks is available during the performance.

Thursday, January 30 - Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 7:30PM in the Studio Theatre

See the Krannert Center website for more details and to purchase tickets.